True Love Conquers All
by Snapegirlkmf
Summary: Getting your happily ever after isn't easy especially when you've been cursed. Back in the Enchanted Forest Jiminy Cricket fell in love with Marie Bordreaux, the foster sister of Belle. In Storybrooke,psychologist Archie Hopper meets Marie Bordreaux in a exotic dance club and the two of them become friends then lovers. However, Gaston is determined to keep them apart at all costs.
1. The Cricket & the Lady

True Love Conquers All

by Snapegirlkmf and CJ Moliere

1

~ The Cricket and the Lady and the Dancer and the Doctor ~

**Authors Notes: We decided to write this story to thank all of our readers and reviewers of Unexpected Surprise and This Doesn't Have To Be Love whose positive responses to Archie and Marie as a couple have been wonderful! Marie and Archie's first meeting pre-curse occurs in chapter 10 of This Doesn't Have To Love. This story picks up during the curse. **

They couldn't have been any more different….he was a human who chose to be turned into a cricket and she was the illegitimate half-sister to the betrothed of the Dark One who served as her lady-in-waiting while she still lived in Avonlea but from the moment Jiminy Cricket and Marie Bordreaux met in the Dark Castle, Rumple and Belle knew another couple with true love when they saw it. The trouble was, like every other true love couple in the realm, they too would become victims of the Curse of the Broken Hearted, separated with no memory of having ever met until Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter could break all the curses. Sometimes however, what is meant to be happens without any outside interference.

When he awoke on the first day of the curse, Jiminy Cricket knew nothing else except that his name was Archibald Hopper and he was a psychologist in the small town of Storybrooke. He lived in an apartment he rented from Robert Gold with his dog Pongo, was unmarried and had no children. He hardly had time to date, much less father a child since his appointment book was always filled. He sometimes wondered if all towns had as many people with problems in it as Storybrooke but when a patient needed him, he was there…day or night. Sometimes he did find himself thinking about settling down and having children but most of the women in town were his patients and not interested in him in that way. The only time he went out was to have dinner at Granny's alone. It was a comfortable yet lonely existence.

A few people talked to him outside of wanting medical advice and they were all people who used to speak to him back in the Enchanted Forest though he wasn't aware of it. Interacting with them made some days seem less ordinary, less lonely. Still when he listened to other people talk about their lives and how much happier they would be if they overcame their emotional burdens, he envied them. They had what he wanted and couldn't seem to find….a family. Even Mr. Gold, his aloof landlord, was willing to take a chance at having a family of his own. The therapist was surprised one day when he stopped by, not to collect the rent but to talk. He had a son, he said, and the boy was back in his life but he wasn't the same boy his father remembered. Archie gave him what advice he could on how to approach the boy and they seemed to be working things out. He was always pleased that he could help others. One afternoon while he was eating lunch in the diner he was approached by the miners. They always struck up conversations with him during his lunch but what they suggested that day shocked him.

"You need to get out more, Doc," Leroy suggested. "What're you doing tonight?"

"I was ahh….going to watch a John Wayne marathon on TMC," he admitted. John Wayne and Errol Flynn were his favorite actors and he sometimes wished he were more like the characters they portrayed: no matter what fate threw at them, they always got what they wanted, even a family. His favorite movie was McClintock and wanted to meet a feisty woman like Maureen McCormack's character and maybe she would like him as he was and not want him to change too much. The few women he'd dated wanted that.

"Not tonight you're not. Going out with us. You gotta learn to do more guy things. Sitting around watching old movies is good but not all the time."

He wanted to refuse but he also didn't want to be rude either. He reluctantly agreed to go out with them, assuming they would take him to the Rabbit Hole for a drink but when they pulled into the parking lot of Foxtrot, Storybrooke's strip club he wished he'd just said no. This was the last place he wanted to be seen in and everyone in town knew the girls who worked there did more than just dance for money.

"Well Doctor Hopper! Fancy seeing you here!" Sly Fox, the club's owner greeted him. He groaned and wanted to make a mad dash for the nearest exit but he wasn't driving and it was too long of a walk back to his apartment.

"Well I ummm…"

"He needs to get out more so we brought him here for a good time."

Even having a drink down at the Rabbit Hole would be better than this…no…bite your tongue Archie…

"Ohhh I'd be happy to help with that," a red haired woman in an emerald green thong and sequined bikini top cooed as she sauntered up to them. "My name's Zelena, baby. What's your name?"

"Uhhh…Archie Hopper," the therapist said nervously, trying not to look at so much flesh on display but it was impossible not to when she ground herself against him and thrust her cleavage into his face. The miners were whistling behind him and he scowled. How could they condone such immoral behavior?

"Hey Greenie, Spencer's waiting for you in the private room!" he heard another woman say from behind him and turned around to face…a goddess….well a woman that was dressed like one anyway. She wore a sheer white peplos with a garland of flowers in her long brown locks.

"Better get going, Zelena," advised Sly. "He's one of our highest paying customers."

She glared at the Greek costumed beauty and stormed off.

Dancing on mens' laps and a stage in a skimpy Greek goddess costume was not how Marie Bordreaux wanted to spend the rest of her life but finding a different job to support herself and her five year old daughter was difficult because everyone knew where she worked and they all believed she did more for the customers than dance just like Zelena and Ashley Boyd. She believed Merriweather Blue did as well though somehow she managed to hide the fact that she was moonlighting at a strip club and teaching at Storybrooke Prep during the day. Marie's stage name at the club was Electra after the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra from Greek mythology though she preferred to dress like the goddess of love herself, Aphrodite.

"I haven't seen you here before Doctor Hopper," she said softy. She'd seen him around town and Gisella said that when she went to the park with Julie, the girl Marie paid to watch her while she worked, Doctor Hopper would let her play with his dog, Pongo.

"Ummm…no…the guys wanted me to get out…and…"

She frowned. What were they thinking? The man was obviously uncomfortable but they didn't seem to care and had she not stepped in, Zelena would have taken him to the private room and been all over him, making him even more uncomfortable and maybe even call the police charging her with rape.

"Sly, I'll take him to the other private room if you don't mind," she said to her boss. He smirked.

"Be my guest."

"Have fun Doc!" the miners hooted. Archie blushed, his face almost as red as his hair. Good God, why hadn't he just said no? His palms were sweating when the goddess took his hand in hers and led him down the hall to a room with a red velvet loveseat in it and a coffee table, nothing else.

"So this is…uhhh…the private room?" he asked her as they sat down.

She nodded and dimmed the lights. "We use this room if a customer wants a private dance…well I use it for that…and just to talk if that's what they want to. Some of them actually do want to just talk."

"I…don't really want you to dance," he confessed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you…it's just that…"

"It's all right. I've been wanting to talk to you anyway. To thank you."

He was stunned. "T…Thank me? For what? We've never met."

She smiled. "No, but you've met my daughter. She plays with Pongo in the park. Her name is Gisella Bordreau and my name is Marie though I go by Electra here."

Aphrodite would suit her better, he thought.

"Oh! Gisella! Of course. She's a sweet little girl."

"I've tried to keep what I do here from her….not always easy."

He nodded. It wasn't…not with the way tongues wagged in this town and he respected her for doing her best to shield her daughter from the negative influences such a place would have on her young mind.

"And….her father?"

Marie snorted. "Wants nothing to do with her…or me." she lied. The truth was Gaston only wanted one thing out of her and she wasn't going to let him have it…not again.

"What about child support? He is her father and he at least owes you that."

"I've been trying to save up the money to hire Mr. Gold to represent me with that."

"Well…he may a bit….aloof but he does get results."

"Even for someone like me, given my reputation?"

"Marie, you don't mind if I call you that, do you? Mr. Gold can make you look like a saint compared to your daughter's father if he puts his mind to it. I've gotten to know him pretty well and….family is important to him."

"Gaston has a very good attorney which is why I need Mr. Gold. He hasn't lost a case yet."

"Gaston Devereaux is Gisella's father?" he asked worriedly. He knew the man by reputation and he was more concerned than ever. There were rumors he was abusive to his girlfriends and his late wife as well and now his son was showing signs that he would carry on his father's bad habits.

"Yes."

There were always three sides to a story: his, hers and the truth but Marie's side was the truth. Gaston liked to claim that Marie flirted with HIM and lied about Gisella being his child because he rejected her when it could've been any man. Marie had never been with a man that way before and what should have been a wonderful experience for her turned out to be a nightmare. She'd never liked Gaston, thought he was too full of himself and refused his advances. And one night she was out at the stables alone he took his revenge on her for her refusals then threatened to kill her if she told anyone what happened. Now he was setting his perverted sights on her best friend, Storybrooke Prep reading teacher Belle French. Belle didn't want him either but he never stopped trying.

And she knew Gaston would kill any man who took an interest in her, no matter if it was platonic or not. He'd done before.

Jonas Harris was one of the Foxtrot's wealthiest patrons, a lonely man who only came to the club to talk. To Marie he was like a second father and a grandfather to Gisella. His own children were only waiting for him to die so that they could get their greedy hands on his money. They were in for quite a shock as was Marie when she discovered he left his apartment to her, fifty thousand dollars to Gisella when she turned twenty-one and the rest of his fortune to breast cancer research. His death from a fall down a flight of stairs was ruled an accident but weeks later Gaston admitted to her during one of his rages that he'd killed Jonas. Now she tried to keep men at a distance, not wanting to risk them being the targets of his insanity.

"He hasn't been…threatening you, has he?"

"No…of course not," Marie said quickly.

A strange noise came from the other side of the wall followed by a series of thumps.

"That…sounds like a goat." Archie mumbled. Marie rolled her eyes and shook her head knowing exactly what it was. She pounded the wall.

"Zelena! Keep it down I can't hear myself think!" she yelled. Now they could both hear a man moaning and both he and Zelena were shouting some of the foulest words in the English language.

"Oh God….are they…?" Archie's face was beet red.

"Yes," Marie groaned. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I don't do that….just dance and talk but some of them…like Miss Goat over there…think the private room is their bedroom." She pounded the wall again. "GODDAMMIT TAKE IT UPSTAIRS!"

The noises grew louder.

"Come on…we'll go someplace else." Marie suggested.

He wasn't going to argue with that. He was embarrassed enough by what he'd heard. Making matters worse the miners were waiting for them when they came out of the private room, all of them grinning like Cheshire cats.

"If you'll all excuse us…" Marie said coolly. The club had a closed in patio that was rarely used except for when she went out there to have some time alone. She motioned for him to sit down at one of the tables while she fixed them some tea in the kitchen. "When do you think they'll let you off the chain?" she called out.

"I don't know….soon I hope…I'm sorry…I didn't mean it like that…" he stammered.

You seem to be putting your foot in your mouth quite a bit tonight, Hopper. Might want to think a few more seconds before you speak or she'll dump that tea she's making right in your lap.

"It's all right," she said softly, handing him a cup. "You're too good for a place like this."

So are you…

"Well, ummm….it hasn't been that bad," he admitted. "I really don't get out much because of what I do…and I just never gave it a thought." He laughed. "I was planning on spending the evening at home watching a marathon on TV."

"Nothing wrong with that. I do that sometimes either alone or with Sella."

If anyone would have told him one day he would be sitting on a patio at a strip club having a decent conversation with a gorgeous exotic dancer he would have asked them what drugs they were on because he never would have been caught dead in such a place and with those kind of people but Marie was different. She made the best of a difficult situation for him.

"Electra! You done in there yet! We got a show to put on!" demanded Merriweather Blue from the doorway. At the club her name was Aqua Mystique. When the schoolteacher saw Marie's companion she screeched and dashed back into the main room of the club. Archie was so shocked to see her that he nearly dropped his cup.

"M…Miss _Blue?!" _he gasped. "But…but she's a teacher!"

"Doing a little moonlighting," Marie explained.

Now he'd seen it all. Miss Blue taught sex education at the school and now that he knew WHERE she'd gotten her training, he felt ill.

"I'm not proud of what I do Doctor but I don't lie about it either," Marie said defensively.

Everyone assumed he didn't know what went on in their town but for the most part, he did and one thing he learned right away was that some of the so called social elites were the biggest hypocrites and now it seemed that Miss Blue fit well into that category.

"Marie, I didn't mean to upset you….I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth a lot tonight."

"It's all right."

"ELECTRA!" yelled Sly.

Marie sighed. "I'd better get going before he sends a posse for me and hopefully yours will take you home." She stood up.

"I may not have wanted to be here…but I did enjoy talking to you."

"Same here."

They stared at each other for several minutes. Finally Marie looked away. "Maybe we'll see each other in the park sometime," she blurted out before she thought about it.

He smiled. "You might. I'm there every day."

Marie! You idiot….you know what will happen if…

We can just be friends!

Even that is dangerous. Remember Jonas! He'll kill Doctor Hopper if he thinks you're getting too close so you'd better quit before you start!

"Well, ummm…goodbye Doctor Hopper," she said and hurried into the main room before Sly came after her. He despised lateness to the shows.

Archie was smiling when he rejoined the miners.

"Soooo….how did it go, Doc?" Leroy questioned, winking.

"Better than I expected," he said softly. "Much better than I expected."

"Well…?"

"Let's just leave it at that," he insisted.

He was still smiling when they dropped him off at his apartment. Pogo jumped off the sofa and ran over to him, licking his hand while he petted him.

"Well Pongo, my night out wasn't so bad after all," he said to the Dalmatian.

The dog looked at him questioningly.

"I met the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life...and she's Gisella's mother!"

Pongo grinned happily, his tail wagging at the mention of Gisella.

"You like playing with Gisella, don't you boy? Well, she'll be in the park tomorrow and maybe...maybe Marie will be with her."

Pongo whined eagerly at the mention of two of his favroite words in the same sentence-"park" and "Gisella".

"We can't go now...it's past her bedtime..."

The dog looked unhappy, his ears drooping.

"Now don't be like that...we can see her in the morning and if he mother is with her...Pongo...she's a dancer who calls herself Electra but that's the wrong name for her...it should be Aphrodite..."

He sat down on the sofa and patted the empty space beside him.

The Dalmatian barked softly, as if he understood what his master said, then jumped up beside him and put his head in Archie's lap.

"It's crazy...and I'm probably going to need my own therapist but I do want to get to know Marie better...outside that club."

The dog nuzzled his hand . . .as if saying go for it. His tail thumped the cushions.

"You think I'm not crazy? Everyone else will."

Pongo shook his head and panted.

He sighed. "I'll give it a try Pongo but I think she's had a hard time and doesn't trust men completely."

Pongo whined and put a paw over his face.

"What? Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

The dog put his head out and licked his hand.

Most people would find it odd that he carried on conversations with his dog but he always felt like his faithful companion understood him better than anyone else did.

"I just...have this feeling that if I don't...I'll regret it the rest of my life."

Pongo whuffed softly, as if agreeing with him.

He yawned. "We'd better get to sleep or we'll be too late to see Gisella in the park tomorrow and you know she gets angry if we do."

Pongo jumped off the sofa and wagged his tail, making an odd crooning noise in his throat. Archie called it his "Talking" voice.

"Yes, you remember the last time we got yelled at. Don't want that to happen again!"

He went into his bedroom, changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

The Dalmatian whined and shook his head, his dark ears flopping.

Pongo jumped onto the bed and draped himself over his human's feet, asleep as well moments later.


	2. Along Came A Woman

2

~ Along Comes a Woman ~

Marie called Julie early the following morning to tell her she was taking the day off work and would take Gisella to the park herself. The young babysitter was relieved, she had a philosophy exam to study for and she couldn't do that and watch Gisella at the same time. It wasn't that she didn't like the child but she also wanted to get her degree too. Gisella was excited not just because she would see Doctor Hopper and Pongo, her mother would be there too. While they were walking to the park Gisella was telling her mother some of the things she did while she was there and how the park wasn't boring when Doctor Hopper and Pongo were there.

Her encounter with the town's resident psychologist had been a pleasant one despite the circumstances that put them in each other's paths. She was surprised by how shy he was when he wasn't dealing with people on a professional level but there were quite a few people like that, herself included. On stage and the private room she could be Electra, the seductress or herself, the confidante and friend depending on who she was with. Most of the men who came in the club preferred Electra but men like Jonas and Doctor Hopper wanted her to be herself and it was those men that she felt more comfortable with. She just had to keep reminding herself that she couldn't get too close to another man again at least until she could finally be free of the one she didn't want. She feared she never would be.

"He lets me play fetch with Pongo an sometimes we just sit n'talk. He's really nice Mommy."

"I know he is," Marie murmured.

"…And when those mean Dog boys were buggin me, he told 'em he'd put their eyes out with his umbrella if they came near me again and Pongo was gonna bite their butts."

"What?!" Marie gasped, stopping in her tracks. "Gisella, when did those gang boys bother you and what did they do?" _And where the HELL was Julie!? _she thought angrily.

"Ummm…it was 'fore they all got in that fight…an' some of them died…"

"Oh God! Gisella…did they HURT you sweetie?" The thought of ANYONE touching her daughter made the young mother angry enough to commit murder. She'd always tried to shield Gisella from danger but now it seemed she couldn't protect her enough.

"One of 'em pulled my hair and it really hurt. That's when Doctor Hopper showed up and got in his face. I was scared they were gonna beat him up but he was real brave and whacked 'em good with his umbrella an Pongo bit the other one in the leg." Gisella laughed. "He screamed like a girl."

"And just where was Julie during all this?" Marie demanded.

"Ummm….ummm…."

"Gisella….." Marie pressed.

"She was talkin' to Chad."

"Are you telling me she was too busy talking to her BOYFRIEND while a bunch of thugs were harassing you and had Doctor Hopper not stepped in you would've gotten hurt!?" she asked hysterically.

"Ummm….yeah…"

"Why didn't you tell me about this? Why didn't she?"

"Cause I promised I wouldn't."

"Gisella, don't you EVER keep something like that from me again! Do you understand me?!"

"M'sorry, Mommy!" Gisella wailed.

Marie picked up her daughter and hugged her. "I'm sorry I yelled Sella but I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you….you're all I have…" she sobbed.

"Why can't we have a daddy too so we don't have to be alone all the , Mommy?" Gisella asked through her own tears.

"Sella…"

"I really want one, Mommy."

"I know sweetie, but…"

"But what, Mommy? Why's it so hard to get a daddy?"

_Because some of them aren't fit to be one…or a lover either, _Marie thought bitterly. She'd dealt with enough of them in her life and the good ones were gay, taken or dead. She found herself wondering which category Doctor Hopper fit into. He was very much alive so the last was ruled out. She didn't see a ring on his finger so he wasn't taken either…and he did say he didn't get out much…but she wondered if he was gay since he was so shy with her.

Across town, Archie grabbed Pongo's leash off the wall and hooked it onto the dog's collar and the two of them started walking to the park. The prospect of seeing Marie at the park put more of a spring in the therapist's steps that morning that Pongo was the one having trouble keeping up for a change. Several times he would stop forcing Archie to slow down.

"We don't want to be late, Pongo because you know Gisella gets upset," Archie reminded the Dalmatian. The dog cocked its head to one side and woofed in agreement. "And….something keeps telling me her mother might be there too…you'll like her Pongo…and not because she's beautiful…" There was a little voice inside him that said he was jumping in too fast and setting himself for a major heartache but there was another speaking a bit louder telling him that he had the chance to change his life for the better…if he was brave enough to take it. He chose to listen to it.

They continued walking down the street and as they walked, Archie started singing the lyrics to Along Comes a Woman, a song by one of his favorite musical groups Chicago.

_"All alone, suddenly you see her_

_So alone, you know you're gonna need her_

_Can't explain, somethin' that you're feelin'_

_For the very first time_

_Then along comes a woman_

_There's a change in the way that you're feelin' tonight_

_Then along comes a woman_

_And you know that it's right…"_

Gisella led her mother over to the picnic table she always sat at while she and Julie waited for Doctor Hopper and Pongo. Marie handed her one of the bottles of water she had in her purse along with a bag of pretzels to snack on while they waited. After half an hour Gisella was starting to get impatient and so was Marie with _her _because it was just a matter of time before she started throwing one of her tantrums.

Finally they heard Pongo barking excitedly and nearly dragging his poor master along behind him as he ran toward Gisella. The little girl jumped off the picnic table and threw her arms around the Dalmatian. Pongo licked her cheeks.

"Good afternoon Marie," Archie greeted softly.

"Hello Doctor Hopper." Marie glanced down at her daughter. "Well, they get along well. I was thinking of getting Sella a dog but I would have to ask Mr. Gold for permission and he's hard to get a hold of."

"As far as I know he's not against us having pets….unless they destroy the apartments and Pongo's never done that." Archie kneeled down to unhook Pongo from his leash. "All right Pongo…you stay right where we can see you. Understand?" he asked the Dalmatian.

Pongo barked once for yes.

"He seems to understand exactly what you're saying. How is that possible?" Marie was asking Archie when they sat down at the picnic table and she handed him the other bottle of water she had.

"I don't know…I've just known from the day I got him that he's very intelligent. And sometimes…it's easier for me to talk to him than people…can you imagine?" He laughed nervously. "You probably think I need _my _head examined."

"You're talking to someone who talks to herself in the car. Helps me remember things I'm supposed to do and relieve stress."

"I imagine being a single parent is stressful."

_You don't know the half of it_, Marie thought. "It can be at times but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Doctor Hopper, why didn't you tell me you first met my daughter while protecting her from those damned gang boys?"

"I didn't remember it…until now. I've had a few run ins with those kids myself and so have a lot of people in town and normally I walked in the other direction when I saw them coming because I knew one of them went after Mr. Gold with a knife. But when I saw one of them attacking Gisella like that I was furious. I didn't even care if they did anything to me but I wanted to make sure she was safe."

"I am grateful." She sighed. "And I'm going to have to fire Julie. She should've been watching Sella, not bullshitting with her boyfriend." She handed him the bag of pretzel sticks. He took a few of them out and stood up.

Gisella was playing fetch with Pongo. "Doctor Hopper, you got a ball for him to fetch?"

"No I…ummm…left it at home." He was too excited at the prospect of seeing Marie again that he forgot a lot of things that morning…like turning down the heat on the stove and burning his breakfast for the first time in who knew how many years.

"Okay…I'll just throw a stick!" She picked one up and threw it. "Okay Pongo, bring it back."

The dog picked up the stick and trotted over to her, depositing it at her feet and barked twice. She picked up the stick and threw it again. "C'mon, good doggie!"

Marie and Archie sat on one of the benches facing her while they drank from their water bottles and snacked on pretzel sticks, their hands occasionally touching when they reached into the bag at the same time.

"Sorry about that," Archie mumbled.

"I should've brought a bigger bag," Marie joked.

"Have you made any progress with trying to get child support from Gaston?"

"No…"

He made it quite clear what he would do if she even thought about it again. She could still feel the barrel of his gun pressed against her throat. Thank God Arista had chosen that moment to show up and suggest they have a girls' night…and he crept out the window but she knew he would be back…he always was.

"Marie, if you need to talk about it…or anything…"

He was a complete stranger to her and her experience taught her that she should've been wary but Doctor Hopper was known to be one of the kindest men in town, not just because he was also the town's resident psychologist. She wanted to trust him.

"I'm just afraid someday Gisella is going to start thinking I'm like the other women at the Foxtrot….I keep her away from it as much as possible but today we're supposed to be having a picnic and…"

"You could skip it and spend the day here with me and Pongo. I don't have any appointments today," he suggested.

"I would…but Sly….you've seen how he can be….I don't want to risk losing my job and there's another dancer…a friend of mine who is going and she'd be miserable if I wasn't there."

"You could _both_ skip it…"

Marie chuckled. "You're not giving up on this, are you?"

_Say yes…._

_Getting a bit desperate are you now, Hopper? She's obviously not interested and throwing yourself at her isn't going to leave her with a good impression of you as a therapist now is it? _

Sometimes he hated his conscience because it had a nasty habit of making him doubt himself when he needed to have more confidence. Most of the time it was when he was dealing with Regina before the gang war. She brought Henry to him for help with his fantasy world issues and yet she was trying to run the show. It had irritated him to no end yet if he didn't try to walk the chalk line he knew she'd ruin him personally and professionally. The gang war had changed her and now she left him be to do his job the way he wanted to.

"I just…if you don't want to go…you really shouldn't…"

"Maybe we won't have to stay long…just get something to eat."

"What time is it?"

"Not until two…we have a bit of time."

_Not long enough…_

Gisella and Pongo ran back to them, Pongo was panting and needed a drink of water as did Gisella. Archie took the dish he always carried out of his coat pocket and set it down, pouring some of the water in his bottle into it for the Dalmatian.

"Mommy, can we play hide n' seek next?" Gisella asked.

"Sure." She loved playing the game with her daughter.

"You wanna play, Doctor Hopper?"

"I suppose I could."

"Okay…you be 'it'."

He chuckled. "Can we take a vote?"

"Nope. You don't play all the time with Mommy and me so you havta be 'it.'."

"All right."

"You stand over at that tree, close your eyes and count to ten and me and Mommy are gonna hide. No peeking!"

"Okay…" He stood in front of the tree, closed his eyes and started counting. Once he got to ten he looked around and couldn't see either of them. Pongo trotted up to him and barked softly. "Let's go find them, shall we!"

Man and dog wandered through the park Pongo sniffing for their scents. He finally picked one of the scents and raced toward the bushes. Archie could see part of Gisella's shirt sticking out and reached into them and grabbed her. She squealed and giggled.

"What do we have here?" he murmured, lifting her up. "A squiggly wiggly worm!"

"Aww you caught me!"

Marie stepped out from her own hiding place, the sight that met her eyes warming her heart. Doctor Hopper held her daughter in his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Almost as if…

_Almost as if she were his daughter…_

_He would make a wonderful father, _she thought as he set Gisella back on her feet. Gisella grabbed his hand and practically dragged him over to where Marie stood.

"Doctor Hopper caught me, Mommy."

"I see that," she said softly. "You didn't hide good enough, Sella."

"Now I'm 'it' so I gotta find you!"

"You go ahead and count to ten and Mommy and I will hide."

The little girl took her place by the tree while Archie and Marie hid. He was hoping that she would decide that they were having too much fun in the park to go to the picnic. One day he was going to suggest the three of them have their own picnic. He loved cooking as much as he loved spending time with them. He was so distracted making plans for future outings with them that he didn't see the little girl creep up behind him and tap him on the shoulder.

"Gotcha!" she declared. They heard Marie laughing behind them. "Doctor Hopper didn't hide good Mommy."

"No, he didn't," she said softly. "Sella, honey it's time to go."

"Aww Mommy!"

"Now we promised we'd go to the picnic with Arista."

"I don't wanna go to the picnic. I wanna stay here with Doctor Hopper an Pongo!"

"Gisella…"

"You're mean, Mommy!" the little girl pouted.

"Now, Gisella, that isn't nice," Archie admonished gently. Gisella bowed her head in shame.

"Do you want a time out, Sella?"

"No, Mommy," she mumbled.

"And don't you have something to say to me?"

"M'sorry."

"That's better." Marie picked her purse up off the picnic table. "Thank you Doctor Hopper."

"Maybe we'll see you tomorrow?"

"I…have to work most of the day but Gisella will be here."

"Oh, well…some other time then?" he asked, unable to hide his disappointment.

"We'll see…Goodbye Doctor Hopper."

"Archie," he corrected.

"What?"

"Doctor Hopper sounds too formal. You can call me Archie."

"All right…Archie."

"I'm gonna be here Doctor Hopper so you better not be late!" Gisella warned.

"Sella…" her mother groaned.

"You can call me Archie, Gisella."

"That's a weird name."

"Gisella!" her mother cried, horrified. "You've just insulted him! Now apologize!"

"M'sorry, Archie."

Archie chuckled. "It's all right, Gisella. My name is a bit odd. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay….bye bye Pongo!"

Marie took her daughter's hand and the two of them walked down the street. Archie hooked Pongo back onto his leash and headed in the opposite direction.

Sly Fox held his picnic at his house. All of the girls were in attendance as were their children. While Gisella went to play with Zelena's son, Marie sat at one of the tables with Arista but her mind wasn't on the picnic. It was on a certain doctor and how he was unlike any other man she'd ever met.

"Marie!" Arista yelled, shaking her shoulder.

"Hmmm….what?"

"You haven't been listening to a damned thing I've said. What's gotten into you?"

"What….oh…nothing," she murmured.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you're in love."

"Me? No! Of course not!" Marie denied.

"Then why do you have this starry eyed expression on your face?" her friend demanded. "You've met someone, haven't you?"

Zelena laughed from where she was standing beside Sly Fox. "You must really be desperate if you're getting all hot and bothered over a shrink Marie. He probably psychoanalyzes you during sex!"

"Keep it up, Greenie and you'll be bald real soon!" Marie snarled.

"Shrink…you mean you and…._Doctor Hopper?!" _

"Arista, it's not like that!"

"Okay….right." the other dancer rolled her eyes. "Not like that, my ass. You like him! Not my type but to each her own."

Marie shook her head. _It's nothing….we're just starting to be friends…nothing more than that…it can't be!_

Gisella hopped onto the bench beside her mother. "Can I have a hot dog, Mommy?"

"Coming right up, Gisella!" Sly called out. He noticed that the charcoal grill wasn't staying lit and squirted more lighter fluid onto it, gazing at Zelena's breasts as he did so. Flames shot out of it and all the hot dogs on the rack were burned.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed and jumped back.

"Jesus Christ, Sly what're you trying to do, make a bonfire or what?" Arista snapped.

"Aww Mommy! Now my hot dog looks like roadkill!" Gisella whined.

"You can have something else, sweetie."

"We shoulda stayed with Archie n' Pongo! He probably knows how to cook a hot dog!"

Zelena sneered at the child. "That shrink and his dumb dog?" she cackled like the Wicked Witch of the West. "I'll get you my pretty . .. and your little dog too!"

Gisella promptly grabbed a large plastic pitcher of ice water on the table and dumped it all over Zelena.

"AHHH! What'd you do that for?"

"Cause that's what ya do to witches...duh!"

"Little brat! Now I'm all wet!" she looked like she wanted to smack Gisella.

"Gisella!" Marie cried.

"Mommy, I was trying to melt her away! Like Dorothy."

Arista giggled. "You'd need more than ice water for that…"

Zelena was grouchy . . until she saw that Sly was gazing at her even more heatedly than before . . . since she was wet her dress was even more revealing . . .

"Tart," Marie hissed.

"Can we please go home now, Mommy?"

"Yes, we can." Marie said, no longer wanting to be there herself.

Archie was having the oddest dream. He was in what looked like a medieval castle being chased by Marie wearing medieval clothes and holding a birch broom. She was calling him an insect. That was bizarre when he wasn't even an insect. Even more bizarre Storybrooke Prep reading teacher Belle French was there too and so was Mr. Gold or at least he thought it looked like him.

He awoke and sat up, rousing Pongo from his own slumber by his feet.

"Sorry about that boy….strange dream." The Dalmatian crawled over to him and put his head on Archie's lap and looked up at him worriedly. "No, it wasn't a nightmare….just strange," Archie murmured while he petted him. He felt himself drifting off again, this time dreaming of being with Gisella and Marie in the park again.

He found it ironic that he, a therapist, whose job it was to help others gain self-confidence had very little of it himself when it came to dealing with his love life….not that he had one. But Marie Bordreaux was changing that….and spending time with little Gisella was the closest he would ever get to actually being a father.

_Not getting any younger, Hopper. It's about time you thought about settling down. _

The trouble was….he wasn't like most bachelors and he had a strict moral code that came from his less than moral upbringing, being raised by parents who were con artists and taught their young son the tricks of the trade until he finally decided it was not the life for him. He ran away from home when he was eighteen and supported himself through odd jobs here and there, most of them in restaurants where he perfected his cooking skills. At first he thought about becoming a chef until one of his co-workers suggested he go to school to become a psychologist because of his uncanny ability to give sound advice when someone came to him with a problem. Finally he decided to follow someone else's advice and enrolled in college as a psychology major, graduating with honors. His practice thrived in Storybrooke because he was the only psychologist in the town and he built a rapport with his patients.

These days he was counseling the surviving members of the Purple Knights and the Scorpions. The violent attack on their compound by the Dogs left all of them badly shaken and those who were reunited with their families were having a difficult time adjusting. They were like soldiers coming home from a war…the battle was over in the field, but the memories remained. Nearly all of them suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt. One of them, the brother of the Scorpion leader was still in the hospital after repeated suicide attempts. Archie conducted daily sessions with him and seemed to be making progress. He actually preferred counseling children over adults…they were more receptive to him. While he was walking to the park to meet up with Gisella he spotted Henry Mills.

"Henry, where are you off to?" he asked.

"I'm….going to the park."

Archie frowned. The boy was lying, obviously. "The park is in the opposite direction. Now, where are you really off to?"

"I'm going to find proof for Operation Cobra."

Archie sighed. "Henry, we've been over this…" His fascination with fairy tales was starting to take over his life and Archie feared he would completely lose touch with reality.

"Look, I know you think I'm crazy but I'm not. You just have to BELIEVE!"

"Henry…"

The boy ignored him and ran down the road. Concerned he was going to get into something dangerous, Archie pursued him with Pongo. He finally found him kneeling where a sinkhole had just formed, digging.

"Henry, get away from there!" he cried out. Pongo started barking worriedly.

"It's here….I know it is…I put it here," Henry mumbled while he dug in the ground.

"Henry, you've got to stop digging…it could enlarge the sinkhole and you'll fall!"

Finally Henry spotted the book but then the ground gave beneath him and he started sinking. Archie raced over to him and grabbed his hand and the hole expanded, sending both of them tumbling into the mines below.

"Doctor Hopper….are you okay?" Henry asked worriedly, crawling over to where Archie lay with a large bruise on his forehead. Archie sat up slowly. His head and back ached but he was more concerned with the boy, checking him over to make sure he wasn't injured.

"I'm all right, Henry. Are you….nothing sore?"

"I'm good." He glanced over where they'd fallen and saw a large pile of rocks there, preventing them from climbing out of the hole. "I'm really sorry I got you into this."

"The important thing is that you didn't get hurt but we have to find a way out of here, these caves can be unstable."

Henry pulled a flashlight out of his backpack and turned it on and the two of them walked further into the tunnels and as they were walking they felt tremors in the ground above them. Archie grabbed Henry's hand and pulled him into a corner and covered him while debris fell down around them. When it stopped they ventured deeper in the caves.

"How long do you think these tunnels are?"

"I don't know Henry….they could run the length of the town and there has to be more than one entrance. Come on….we need to keep walking." While they were walking Archie stopped when he thought he heard Pongo barking.

"Doctor Hopper, do you hear that? Sounds like Pongo!"

"It is Pongo! That means we're close to an exit!" They ran down the tunnel and spotted a service elevator but the controls were a bit rusted. The two of them put all their strength into trying to get it to work but it wouldn't budge.

"Dr. Hopper! Henry! Can you hear me?"

"That's MOM!" Henry cried.

"Sheriff Swan?" Archie called back.

"I've opened the elevator shaft over here. I think I can get you out! Are you okay?"

"We're fine..."

"Hold on...we're coming!" Regina shouted.

"Okay . . .can you see where the light's coming in . . ?" Emma called.

"Yeah Mom...we can see it!" Henry said and looked up.

"Henry, stand back…I have to open the top of this. They're either going to send someone down or we'll have to be pulled out." Archie informed him and starting poking at the top of the elevator, forcing it open. "All right…come on back in."

"Good! I need you to stand under it," Emma instructed. "I'm gonna lower a rope . . ."

"Okay...we're here...throw it down!" Archie called up to her.

"Wrap it around your waist and we'll pull you up!"

"Henry, you first," Archie instructed, picking up the end of the rope and handing it to his young charge.

"Okay." he looped the cord around his waist, hooking it securely. "Ready!"

Archie watched from inside the elevator as Henry was being pulled up the shaft. Moments later the ground shook beneath him and he fell on the floor. "Henry!" he cried when he jumped to his feet but he couldn't see the boy.

_Thank God…they got him out…_

He didn't see the rope get tossed back down and feared something had gone wrong or they'd forgotten about him. It didn't matter. As long as Henry was safe, that was all that mattered.

"Doc, we're tossing the rope back down!" yelled Leroy.

Archie grabbed it and tied it around his waist while the dwarves pulled him out. He could see Henry lying on the ground while his mothers performed CPR on him.

"Oh no!" he cried. "Henry!"

"There's nothing you can do, Doc…" Happy said grimly, grabbing his arm to pull him away.

"What the hell…will you let go of me!?"

As he struggled to free himself a wave of white light came toward him, knocking him to the ground. He flinched as dozens of memories raced through his mind…his early years as the son of pickpockets and con artists, being turned into a cricket and Geppetto's friend throughout his childhood and adult years….befriending Regina and nearly dying to help her retrieve her beloved's heart from her mother's vault.

"The curse….the first one….it's broken…" he whispered as he got to his feet and walked over where Henry lay. "Your Majesty, is he all right?" he asked Regina.

Regina nodded through her tears. "He's just fine."

"The curse... You BOTH broke it!" Henry exclaimed.

"We did, kid."

"The EVIL QUEEN! LETS GET HER!" shouted the dwarves.

"Yeah...this is HER fault!"

"Let's have ourselves a witch hunt! And string her up!"

"No one is touching her!" yelled Emma, jumping up and shoving Regina behind her. Archie stood on her left, Jeff on her right.

"But SHE'S the reason we're like this!" protested Grumpy.

"Has it ever occurred to you that she did try to prevent it?" Archie shouted, glaring at all of them. They didn't know what he did. They didn't see what he saw.

"You want her you gotta come through us first and believe me...we're not making it easy," added Jefferson.

"Jeff . . .she took your daughter from ya!" cried Doc.

"NO…her MOTHER did!"

"I will accept what punishment they want to give me."

"No you won't!" Emma insisted. "They're not getting you."

"Please…you can't kill my mom!" Henry begged.

"They're not going to Henry," Archie said angrily, holding his umbrella like a club, ready to poke eyes out or crack skulls, whichever came first because he would fight to the death to ensure Regina's safety as he had before.

"Nobody's killing anybody!" snapped Jeff. "The law says that everyone gets a fair trial . . .so that's what we're gonna do."

"Who the hell is gonna try her."

"I will!"

Archie breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone could bring order to the chaos it was the Dark One, only not as dark as everyone thought. Henry bravely stepped forward and pleaded with the sorcerer to show mercy to his mother and Archie couldn't have been more proud of him.

_And to think my cursed self thought this was all in his mind. _

"Mom wants you to bind her magic...as her punishment. You can't kill her...she did try to stop it... And...she's my mom..."

"She didn't try hard enough!" shouted Happy. "Destroy her, Dark One!"

"Yeah...she took your son and your betrothed from you. You gonna let her get away with THAT?"

"That was Cora's curse you fools!" Archie hissed.

Rumple held up a hand. "Quiet!" They all stilled. "You forget, dearies, that if anyone should want her dead, it ought to be me!" he snapped. "But . . .I don't. Because she was as much a victim of Cora as we were! A fact I'll prove in a court of law. CORA cast the Dark Curse . . .and used her daughter to do so . . .SHE'S the one you ought to want strung up!" He looked at Emma. "Read Mayor Mills her rights, Sheriff Swan, and bring her in. We can subpoena witnesses and a jury as soon as possible. And if anyone tries to harm her . . you deal with ME!" And he glared at them with his Dark One death glare. "So . . .who wants to try something and end up a slug?"

The crowd started backing away.

Rumple took a step forward, glad for once of his nasty reputation . . . for that was all that stood between an angry mob and Regina right then. He still had no access to his magic. Not yet.

"All of you, go back home and find those you've lost! We can deal with Mayor Mills later. Now GET!" He wriggled his fingers threateningly. "If you're not gone by the time I count to three . . . you'll be crawling back to town!"

The others drew away, muttering in fear.

Rumple opened his mouth and began counting. "ONE!"

"I don't wanna become a slug!" yelped Happy and started running over to their blue Jeep.

"Me neither!" Doc whimpered and followed him.

Archie and Jeff were both chuckling knowing a con when they saw one.

"Eeep!" shrieked Dopey, cringing. "I'm goin' Mr. Gold sir!" he was so scared he almost wet himself.

"TWO!" Gold skewered those who remained with his terrible glare. "I guess you like becoming escargot!"

"What's so funny?" Emma whispered to Jeff.

"No! No!" cried Sneezy. He followed his brothers.

"Oldest trick in the book," murmured the former cricket.

The rest of the dwarves followed suit, except for Grumpy.

Rumple pointed a finger at him. "Better get moving, dearie!"

"Promise me you'll get justice for us, Gold!"

"That will be decided by a jury of her peers. If you like . . you can be on it. But slugs can't. So . . . what's it gonna be?"

"Fine!" Grumpy threw up his hands. "Bloody twisted imp!"

Then he stomped over to the Jeep and got in. "C'mon, boys! Let's find Snow White!"

"Mom..." Emma whispered.

They drove off in a cloud of smoke, cheering.

"Thank you...Rumplestiltskin," Henry said softly.

"You still got it Rumple," Jeff said with a smirk.

"I don't get it...what did he do?" Emma asked.

"You're welcome, lad." Rumple said. He looked at Jeff. "Best get her out of here, Hatter."

Emma was confused.

"I play a mean hand of poker, dearie," Rumple winked at her. "Now, do as I say. I have to be going. I need to find Belle . . . and Bae."

"We all have to find loved ones," said Geppetto.

"C'mon kid...lets go find your grandparents."

"I'll see you soon, Mom," he said to Regina.

"Right," Jeff said, cuffing Regina. Then he shook a finger at his son. "Boy, you ever scare me like that again and I'll . . . I'll tan your butt!"

"So will I!" threatened Emma.

Rumple chuckled. "Ah, that sounds SO familiar!" He looked at Regina. "I'll be contacting you, Regina, if you wish to retain my services as an attorney."

"I wouldn't trust no one else." She sighed. "You...Jefferson and Archie know more of the truth than anyone else."

Rumple nodded. "All right, dearie. We'll talk more later. I need to get back to my shop. That's probably the first place they'll look for me."

"How'd you get the shiner, Rum?" Jeff teased.

Rumple blushed faintly. "I didn't duck quick enough."

"Next time duck!"

"Hopefully . . . there won't be a next time!" the pawnbroker said ruefully. Archie knew he was going to find his son and fiancée.

"Your Majesty, I will tell them everything I know," he vowed to Regina.

"Thank you, Jiminy."

He smiled. "It's Archie."

"Thank you, Archie."

As he was walking away, Geppetto came up to him and embraced him. "Are you all right?" the older man inquired worriedly.

"My head aches a bit and so does my back but I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. You need to go find your son. He's probably back in town looking for you."

"Do you think he'll forgive me?"

"It'll take time but yes, I think he will…and you can always come by my office together and we'll talk about it."

Geppetto hugged him tighter. "You need to find your family too, Jiminy…."

"I have you, don't I? And umm…I like my cursed name better…."

"What about that Marie and her little daughter?"

Archie sighed. "I don't think Marie is interested in being anything other than friends…if that."

"Don't give up. You've always given me good advice now it's my turn to give some to you. You care for the little girl and her mother and you can be a wonderful family."

"It's too soon to think about that…"

"But you have."

"Yes…I have…it's all I've been able to think about lately but I don't want to rush."

"I'm going to go find my son. Go to Marie…"

"All right, I'm going!"

Marie was sitting at the picnic table in the park, trying to process everything that just happened. She now found herself trying to sort through two sets of memories, one as the illegitimate daughter of Sir Maurice Bordreaux and the other as the dancer at the Foxtrot. One thing was the same in both…she was a ruined woman with a child she loved more than anything…and her child's father terrified her more in this land than he had in their old land.

Gaston hadn't been bothering her much as of late and that should have made her feel secure but it didn't. He left her in peace sometimes for weeks at a time and then would return with a vengeance. She even suspected he was having her followed.

"Mommy, it's Archie!" Gisella cried excitedly and ran over to where the doctor stood with Pongo. Marie stood up and approached them, frowning when she noticed a bruise on his head and his clothes were dirty.

"W…What happened to you?" she cried.

"I fell in the mines…with Henry Mills. "I'm all right….just a bruise."

"Come over here and sit down…why didn't you have someone look at you?" she scolded, leading him over to the picnic table.

"Marie, I'm fine!" he insisted.

She took some tissues out of her purse and poured water from her bottle onto them and carefully wiped the blood from his forehead while he was nervous about having her so close to him that he caught the scent of her vanilla and brown sugar body spray.

Dear gods but it suited her…

"Are you in any pain?"

"No, no…not at all." he lied. "Marie, do you remember everything now from our old land. Who we were?"

"Yes. I'm still trying to make sense of it. Who were you?"

"I was…ummm…a cricket."

She screeched, nearly deafening him.

"What?"

"You were…an insect? I hate insects!" she cried.

"An enchanted one, but yes."

"Enchanted one….you were Jiminy Cricket, advisor to Snow White?"

"Yes though I don't recall ever meeting you in our land. Have we met?"

"No and if we had…I'm afraid you would have been assaulted by the infamous Bordreaux broom."

"My gods! Are you…BELLE Bordreaux?" he asked worriedly. The Dark One would not take too kindly to him having feelings for HIS betrothed and most likely incinerate him as the Queen Mother attempted to do.

"No. Belle French, the reading teacher is Belle Bordreaux. My name here is the same as it was in our land, strangely enough but in our land I was Sir Maurice's foster child and Belle's lady-in-waiting."

"And Gisella…"

"Is still Gaston's child, Archie."

"Did you love him?"

"NO! Never!" she cried and stood up. "And I DON'T want to talk about it!"

"Marie…" he began as she walked away.

"Archie, why's Mommy upset?" Gisella asked from behind him.

"Ummm…we were just talking about an unpleasant subject."

"The bad daddy!" Gisella said angrily. "That's what makes her cry…him an Eti The Yeti!"

"Etienne and Gaston…have you seen them, Gisella?"

"Yeah. They're both real mean. Archie, please talk to Mommy and make her feel better. I hate seeing her cry," Gisella pleaded. Pongo whined.

"All right. You stay here with Pongo where we can see you," Archie instructed the child.

"Okay!"

Knowing now she was a Bordreaux and they were notorious for their tempers, Archie approached her slowly, thinking to himself what a laughingstock he was as a therapist in this situation. Walking on eggshells was not something he enjoyed doing and he avoided it with patients…it was counterproductive.

"Marie, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I think it would help if you talked about it."

"I can't…not now."

_Not ever. _

"Just know that when you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen."

_And not just as a therapist either…_

"All right. I know you're just trying to help and I'm grateful for that but….I'm not all that comfortable talking about things like this with…."

"We won't be strangers forever, Marie."

_Not if I can help it. _

"Fair enough….is your head any better? I have some Advil in my purse."

"What makes you think I'm in any pain?"

She faced him, scowling. "You fell down a mine shaft, now don't be trying to act all macho and tell me you're not in any pain when I know damned well you are." She took two pills out of her purse and handed them to him along with the water bottle. "Now take two of those and call me in the morning…Doctor," she teased with a smile.

_Her smile was dazzling. _

He chuckled.

Neither of them was aware Marie's daughter was watching them closely, thinking that Mission: Replace Bad Daddy was going well. She couldn't wait to tell Jason.

Time seemed to pass quickly for them during their time in the park…too quickly for his liking but he couldn't stay much longer. He had patients to see.

"Gisella, come on honey…it's time to go."

"Awww!" she pouted.

"Archie has patients to take care of and I have to make dinner."

"Well you're not makin me a grilled cheese sandwich cause it's roadkill!" snapped her daughter.

"A grilled cheese sandwich? How is that roadkill, Gisella?" asked Archie.

"Cause she killed it! It was all black n stuff so I threw it out on the road and told the cars to get their roadkill."

"That was a bit…harsh."

"Oh it was. I haven't been able to make her a grilled cheese sandwich since then."

"I know how to cook…maybe I could give you lessons sometime?" Archie suggested to Marie.

"Huh? Boys don't cook good." Gisella frowned.

"You might change your mind once you taste something of mine."

"Okay but if I don't like it, it's gonna go out on the road with the rest of the roadkill."

"Gisella!" her mother exclaimed.

"Oh, I don't think you'll toss anything of mine out on the road, Gisella."

"C'mon Sella….let's go home."

"Archie, you wanna walk with us?" Gisella asked him.

"Sella, it's probably out of his way…" her mother protested.

"Oh, I don't mind. I usually take long walks with Pongo anyway. Don't I boy?"

"Woof! Woof!" Pongo barked, wagging his tail excitedly.

"Please, Mommy?" Gisella begged.

"If Archie wants to…he can come along."

Marie noticed Archie was whistling as he walked beside them. "That sounds familiar, what is it?"

"Oh…Along Comes a Woman by Chicago," Archie said and blushed. Oh how that song seemed to fit how he was feeling at the moment!

"Oh! I love that group. Good mix of rock and horns," Marie said with a smile.

"I think I wore out six copies of Chicago 17. It's my favorite album of theirs."

"Are you a Cetera or Scheff era fan?" she inquired.

"I listen to more of the songs from Peter's era. Jason Scheff doesn't have as many leads on the later albums but he does sing well. A lot of people though criticize his performances of Peter's song at concerts I'm told. I'd like to go to one of the concerts and form my own opinion."

"Another thing people complain about is the setlist…doesn't change much."

"Have you ever gone to see them?"

"No, but I want to you…like you."

He added that to list of many things he wanted to do once they got to know each other better…if she allowed him to.

"Archie, can I hold Pongo's leash for a while?" Gisella asked him.

"Okay but if he starts walking too fast you have to tell him to slow down," Archie instructed.

"Okay…c'mon, Pongo!" Gisella said, taking the dog's leash in her hand. The Dalmatian kept a steady pace with the child. As they turned a corner they heard voices raised in anger.

"What's that?" Marie asked.

"Stay here…I'll look." Archie walked ahead and saw a group of people coming toward them, some of them carrying pitchforks and torches like the mobs would back in their land…and there was only one person he could think of that they'd be wanting to burn…or skewer. He ran back to where Marie and Gisella stood, taking Pongo's leash from Gisella. "We have to get you two home…now!"

"What's going on, Archie?"

"There's a mob coming down the street. They're after Regina…and I don't want you getting hurt. Where is your apartment from here?"

"Down the next block."

"Come on," he said urgently. Marie grabbed Gisella's hand and the three of them plus Pongo ran down the street towards her apartment building. They could hear the voices of the mob getting louder.

"BURN THE WITCH!"

"HANG HER FROM HER APPLE TREE!"

"Mommy…" Gisella whimpered. Marie picked her up and held her protectively.

"It's all right, sweetie," she soothed.

Archie was furious. One: the people in that mob were not acting like decent human beings and two: they were frightening Gisella and he wanted to hang THEM from an apple tree for that. Marie unlocked the front door to the apartment building. Her apartment was on the second floor. Once she and Gisella were inside, he handed her Pongo's leash.

The dog whimpered.

"You stay in here and keep the door locked, Marie."

"Archie, what are you doing?" she asked worriedly.

"Going to try to talk some sense into those idiots," he said angrily.

"Archie, you can't! They'll kill you…" She recalled how years earlier one of her nurses had been trampled by an angry crowd back in Avonlea. She grabbed his arm. "Stay here with us!"

"They'll squash you like a bug!" Gisella cried fearfully, clinging to his pant leg. Pongo barked furiously and tugged on the other.

"I have to go. Regina is as much a victim of this curse as the rest of us and I'm not going to let them take her!" he declared. "Just stay here, keep the door locked and I'll come back soon." He stepped out into the hall and closed the door, staying until he heard Marie lock it. Then with umbrella in hand he raced out of the apartment building and towards the police station hoping he wasn't too late.


	3. Remember the Feeling

**3**

**~ Remember The Feeling ~**

_She was a vision I couldn't believe _

_I held her close so that she wouldn't leave_

_Suddenly helpless, hopelessly falling in love…_

Chicago – Remember The Feeling

The mob had the police station surrounded when Archie got there, Dr. Whale leading them. It was no surprise. Whale always liked being the center of attention.

"Have you people lost your minds?" he demanded, stepping in front of Whale, his blue eyes blazing with rage. "We are NOT in the Enchanted Forest anymore and this is NOT the Middle Ages!"

"Move out of the way, cricket!" sneered Sean Herman.

Archie pointed the tip of his umbrella at the younger man's chest. "No."

"How can you take her side, Hopper?" Whale demanded. "You know what she's done."

"And you idiots don't know what she tried to do to prevent this!" Archie yelled back. A group of men stalked towards him. He swung his umbrella and struck one of them on the side of the head. He didn't want to hurt anyone but he would if he had to. "This is NOT how human beings should act!" he shouted as they kept coming towards him, backing him against a tree. He raised his umbrella ready to swing at them again.

"Shove it, cricket!"

Rumplestiltskin appeared in a puff of purple smoke and flicked his wrist. The men cornering Archie were thrown to the ground.

"That was me being nice! Next time-I won't be, dearies! So leave Archie be and quit acting like you've just been put under an idiot spell!" Rumple shouted.

"Thank you, Rumplestiltskin," Archie said softly and walked into the police station to talk to Regina.

"Archie! Are you okay?" Henry asked worriedly, hugging the therapist.

"I'm all right, Henry."

The boy returned to his mother's cell and sat down beside her on the cot. Archie grabbed one of the chairs and took it into the cell with him, sitting down in front of them.

"Are you all right, Your Majesty?"

"Archie…you could've gotten killed….again!" she cried.

"I couldn't let them hurt you. If they knew the full truth, they wouldn't be so quick to judge you."

Rumplestiltskin walked into the police station a few minutes later.

"Did you get rid of those turkeys, Gold?" Emma asked him.

"Sent them running home with their tails between their legs like whipped curs," he replied quietly. "It's amazing how supposedly upstanding rational people go into a frenzy and become worse than mad dogs."

"What...happens to her now?" Henry asked worriedly, clinging to Regina for dear life.

"Well, lad, we're going to do this the way things are normally done here . . .trial by a jury of her peers, in a court of law. Which states-innocent until proven guilty," Gold replied, leaning on his cane. "Since I've agreed to represent your mom, that means someone else will be representing the people of Storybrooke . . .most likely DA Albert Spencer, otherwise known as King George." Rumple sneered as he said this, having no love for the man in either world.

"But after what they just did...they won't BE fair!" Henry insisted.

"We can't assume that Henry," Archie said wisely. "Not everyone was part of that mob. There are still some people in this town who know the truth and are willing to support your mother."

"Then we need to make it as fair as possible," Rumple explained. "Not everyone in town was here today, Henry . . .only those who are easily led around by the nose. There are still a fair number of people . . ." he gestured to Emma and Jeff and Archie, "like all of us here . . . and your grandparents and others who don't believe your mother is totally guilty of what happened. So . . .we choose a jury from THEM . . .not the idiots who tried to attack you today. After we do that, I shall attempt to make a case for clemency and use facts and witnesses to support it . . .like any attorney."

"I may not remember everything that happened but I remember enough," Jeff said. "What about you, Hopper?"

"I remember enough to turn the tide in her favor. I was asked by Snow White to approach Regina to try to prevent the curse from happening. We both agreed the best course of action was to try to get Daniel and her father back."

"And when that failed . . .you had to go along with what Cora wanted, didn't you, Regina?" Gold asked.

"Yes...or she was going to have Daddy killed in Wonderland."

"So we have a clear case of blackmail here."

Jeff lowered his head. "She did, Regina...the day the curse hit."

"And she had me...kill Daniel..."

"I had feared that was what she would do . . . since the curse's price was the sacrifice of "the thing you loved most"," Rumple said heavily. "I figured it would have to be you casting it, since Cora would have needed to kill herself to sacrifice the thing she loved most . . .and that wasn't in her plans. My condolences."

"It's all right, Rumple. At least you tried to lessen the effects of the second one..."

"For all the good it did. It's still in effect, dearie . . . and will remain so until the last pair of true lovers is joined together. "

"Who are they?" asked Archie.

"They have to come together on their own...or we who interfere will pay a price," Regina said.

"I don't know," Mr. Gold admitted. "Something was done to me . . .my memories stolen away . . . and now I don't know who they are or even if they're here in Storybrooke."

"Well until they do we have to start getting things back to normal here…or as normal as they can get," said Emma. "I'm still sheriff and I'm not going to tolerate bullshit from idiots."

"Good. Then I suggest the first order of business is to locate a judge . . .last I recall we had Judge Thomas here and also Midas . . . both whom were upright men when I dealt with them as a cursed attorney. Then we have to set a trial date and gather a jury . . .and I'll need to subpoena witnesses and discuss them with my opposing counsel."

Emma glanced over at Jeff. "I'm bunking here tonight. Don't want to risk those idiots coming in here while I'm gone and hurting her."

"Okay, Swan. Want me to keep you company?"

"Yes."

"I would stay Regina but...I promised a friend I would stop over..." Archie said nervously.

_And she's probably worried out of her mind. _

Regina took his hand in hers and patted it gently. "Go on...she needs you…"

"How did you...? Never mind. You were keeping tabs on me over Henry." he concluded.

"And I am sorry about that. It won't be happening anymore," she assured him.

"No one should be able to get past the wards I've set," Gold told them. "Still . . .it might be best if you remained here. People can't get in . . but that doesn't mean you can't throw rocks or lit brands or homemade bombs," He glanced at the boy still in the cell. "Henry, how would you like to come and spend the night with me and Bae?"

"Go on, honey...I'll be fine," Regina encouraged.

"Okay, Mr. Gold." The boy said. "But . . . won't Belle be there too?"

"Belle and I have decided to . . .not live together until we're married . . . even though we're technically betrothed, a lot of people didn't . . . accept that decision back in our old realm," Rumple explained. "So Belle wishes to keep down the gossip and quiet the busybodies who would look down on us . . .and she wants me to court her properly, the way I hadn't before . . .so that's what I plan to do. It just means I'll have to wait a bit more to get married."

"Wise decision," Archie said and stood up. "I'll see you in the morning, Regina and Mr. Gold...if you need me you know how to find me."

"Yes, I do. Have a good evening, Hopper."

Archie smiled and started whistling Along Comes a Woman as he walked out of the police station.

"…Mommy, do you think Archie's okay?" Gisella asked worriedly.

"I don't know…I don't know!" Marie moaned. She'd been on pins and needles from the moment he left the apartment; terrified that mob would tear him apart. She and Belle were children when their nurse had been trampled by an angry mob of merchants angry over new tax laws that had been imposed. The two young girls were terrified and ran all the way back to the castle alone. She thought about calling Archie then realized she didn't have his cell phone number.

_Idiot! Why the hell didn't you get it from him before he left? _

She heard footsteps out in the hall and Pongo jumped off the sofa where he was sitting with Gisella and ran to the door, scratching at it and barking excitedly. Then someone knocked.

"Marie, it's Archie!" he called.

"Oh, thank God!" she cried. "Pongo, move back a bit so I can let him in." The Dalmatian stepped back long enough for her to open the door for him to step inside.

"Woof!" Pongo leapt at his master, nearly knocking him down and licked his face.

He laughed. "I'm okay boy…I'm okay! I…whoa!"

Gisella threw herself into his arms and squeezed hard. "You scared me! I thought they were gonna squish you like a bug or burn you!"

"No, no…I'm all right, Gisella," he assured her. _And I've already been burned…_

"Are you out of your _mind_?" Marie cried hysterically. "You were severely outnumbered and instead of staying here you decided you were going to play the hero and risk getting yourself _killed! _Do you _know _what a mob can do to someone? _Goddammit what the hell were you trying to prove?_"

"I had to, Marie. That was not how human beings should act. They were going to burn down the station with everyone in it, including a child for God's sake!"

"You wouldn't have been able to stop them on your own…you would've died with them!" she argued. "What IS it with people that they all think you have to nearly kill yourself to be a hero when sometimes it's the little things that mean the most…"

_Like a complete stranger being more of a father to my child than the one who sired her? _

"Had you been in my position you would've done the same and you won't convince me otherwise," he insisted.

"Oooh I hate when you do that!"

"Do what?"

"Make me see reason when I don't want to!" she huffed. "Come in and sit down. Are you hungry? I was going to make some soup and sandwiches."

"What kind of soup?"

"Ummm….I have chicken and tomato but if I make tomato she'll want grilled cheese and you know what she thinks of my grilled cheese," Marie mumbled.

Archie took off his suit jacket and tie and hung them on the rack beside the door. "Well, your daughter wants to find out how I cook; tonight she's going to get her chance. If…umm…you don't mind that is."

"You don't have to do that…"

"I want to," he said softly.

"I guess I should show you the kitchen then…"

Her kitchen was smaller than the one in his apartment and lacked some of the appliances he often used but for this culinary project all he needed was the stove. Marie took several cans of Campbell's Tomato soup out of the cupboard and set them down on the counter. He shook his head.

"What? You don't like Campbell's?"

"I make my own soup, Marie. Do you have any tomatoes?"

"Let me look…" She opened the refrigerator and searched the vegetable drawer, frowning when she couldn't find any. Quick meals were what she was best at because of the hours she worked down at the club. "No, I don't…"

Archie looked through the cupboards and refrigerator. "It's not a problem. I'll just go down to the store and pick up what I need."

"Archie!" she cried.

"It's no trouble, Marie."

"I know but…you shouldn't have to spend your money on us…"

"Now, now no arguments. Once you try my soup you won't want to eat it out of a can again," he boasted, his blue eyes twinkling. "And your daughter won't be throwing my grilled cheese out on the road and declaring it roadkill. She's the harshest food critic I've ever seen," he added with a chuckle. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Is there anything you need me to do while you're gone?"

"No. You just relax and I'll be back shortly."

Pongo jumped off the sofa and tried to pull his lead down from the coat rack.

"No, boy. You stay here with Marie and Gisella."

He whined.

Archie kneeled down. "I need you to look after them while I'm gone. You can go to the store with me later on in the week," he said to the Dalmatian. "Deal?"

"Woof!"

Marie couldn't help thinking how much the therapist acted like Roger Dearly from the live action version of 101 Dalmatians when he spoke to his dog like it was another person. It was something else about him that fascinated her.

_And there is something appealing about a man who can cook…_

He crossed the items he needed for his soup and grilled cheese recipe off in his head as he added them to his cart. As he headed to the checkout aisle he spotted Merriweather Blue waiting in the line. As soon as she saw him she raced out of his line and into another one. He still couldn't believe that she, a teacher was working at place like the Foxtrot at night.

_Marie doesn't belong there either, _he thought while the cashier was ringing up his purchases. When he returned to the apartment Marie, Gisella and Pongo were all sitting on the sofa watching _Beauty and the Beast. _Gisella was glaring at the TV as she watched the scene where Gaston and the mob stormed the castle.

Marie glanced over at Archie and frowned. "What did you do? Buy out the whole store?"

"No, just picked up a few things." He carried his bags into the kitchen and set them down on the counter then poked his head out the doorway. "Marie, would you like to learn how to make this?"

She smiled. "I can try…but I'll probably burn it."

"Oh, I don't think you will."

"Sella, I'll be in the kitchen with Archie. You stay here and finish watching your movie, okay?"

"Kay Mommy," the little girl murmured, petting Pongo. When her mother was out of earshot, she smiled at the Dalmatian. "That guy on the TV….my bad daddy's like him but you know what…I'm gonna replace him with Archie. You wanna help me?"

"Woof! Woof!" Pongo barked and nuzzled her hand.

"You will?" She hugged him. "You're a good doggie."

"Woof!"

"I wonder what they're talking about in there," Archie mused.

"Oh, it's probably nothing. Gisella just likes talking to pets."

He grabbed the cutting board and set it in front of her. "The first thing we need to do is chop the tomatoes," he explained and handed her a knife while he grabbed another one and a tomato to demonstrate how he wanted them chopped.

"Archie….mine is not going to look like that!" she cried, glancing down at the now perfectly diced tomato on his side of the counter.

"How do you know if you don't try?" he inquired softly. Bravely the young mother picked up the knife. As she was about to make a slice in the tomato he placed his hand over hers. "A little smaller Marie…."

"Oh….ummm…sorry about that…" she stammered. It shouldn't have meant anything but the moment their hands touched she felt a spark of electricity that frightened her…yet felt familiar somehow.

_As if we've already known each other for a long time…but that's impossible!_

A strange image appeared in her mind of being in a grand bedroom in what looked like a castle. She was sitting up in her bed holding a matchbox that had a sleeping cricket inside it.

_Archie was a cricket back in our land but no…it couldn't be him! And besides…I HATE insects!_

It was difficult for Archie to concentrate on his lessons when Marie's hand felt like silk under his and an image flashed before his eyes, one of him as a cricket dozing on the arm of a loveseat that purred like a cat while Marie sat beside him.

_This makes no sense…if I've seen her back in our land…I would remember it…I would remember her! _

"Well….they don't _look _like yours…but I tried…" she was saying and he shook his head to clear his mind and looked down at the pile of diced tomatoes in front of her. They weren't perfect but she could've obliterated them and he would've declared them works of culinary art. He scooped them up and put them in a bowl along with his and they chopped the rest of them together.

"I'm hungry! When're you gonna be done?" Gisella whined.

"I'm sorry Archie…she gets cranky when she's hungry…"

Archie chuckled and went into the living room. "Do you want to eat good soup and grilled cheese or roadkill?" he asked the child.

"Ewww! Don't wanna eat roadkill!" Gisella scrunched her nose.

"Well if you keep being cranky, Mommy and I will have to rush to get dinner ready and it _will_ end up like roadkill. We're not going to be too much longer, I promise," he vowed gently.

"Okay but I'm realllly hungry."

Marie was astounded. She always had a difficult time calming her daughter down when she was having one of her fits and Archie was able to do it with little effort.

_He has such a calming voice…_

"Crisis averted," he said when he returned to the kitchen. Marie was holding up several packs of Ramen noodles.

"Archie…these don't go in tomato soup as far as I know."

"I need the seasoning out of them."

"What? But what do you do with the noodles? Throw them out? That's waste!"

"No, I use them when I don't feel like cooking something complicated but we need them to make two cups of chicken broth. I have a container of them at home….would've brought it."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I'll need that onion chopped up. Gisella can eat them, can't she?"

"She eats just about anything….but if she doesn't like it….well…you know…"

He laughed. "I know….go ahead and try to dice it just like we did with the tomatoes."

"Are these any better?" she asked, gesturing to the pile of onions in front of her.

"Much better." He poured the broth into the pot and added the tomatoes and onions along with some cloves. Once it was done boiling he put it her food processor. "Now I normally do this with a food mill…works better…but it would have taken too long to go back to my apartment to get it and we'd have an extremely cranky little girl on our hands. Go ahead and melt the butter while I mix this up."

"Okay but I warn you…I might burn it…" Marie chuckled.

He turned the stove down to medium. "You'll need to add the flour in and stir it up like you're making gravy…you have done that…haven't you?"

"Ummm…I'm not good at it…but yes."

He divided his attention between watching her mix up the flour and butter in the pot and mixing up the rest of the ingredients in the food processor, adding them to the pot when they were done and stirring them, adding in salt, sugar, garlic and parmesan cheese.

"How do you do that?" Marie asked, amazed. "My gravy has more lumps than a camel!"

"We'll save that for the next lesson. I'll start on the grilled cheese."

When he set the items for the sandwiches on the table, she frowned. "Archie, that's not the grilled cheese she's used to eating. It's going out on the road, I'm just warning you."

"It's an Italian grilled cheese and I think she'll like it," he said confidently.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…and ….you're _baking_ them?"

"That's how you do it."

He placed 12 slices of italian bread on a cookie sheet and sprinkled mozzarella cheese over half of them and butter and garlic over the other half then put them in the oven for three minutes then flipped them and added the butter and garlic and oregano to the opposite sides and baked them again.

While she was setting the table Marie couldn't help thinking that this was what her daughter needed, to feel like she had a real family…with a mother _and_ a father.

_Stop it Marie! You'll never have it and the sooner you accept that, the better. Do you honestly think he'd want to settle down with someone like YOU…you're damaged goods! He deserves someone better…_

"Gisella, dinner's ready!" she called out.

"'Bout time!" the little girl muttered and sat down at her place, frowning when she saw a grilled cheese sandwich on her plate. "Awww, not roadkill!"

"Gisella!"

"Give it a try. I think you'll like it," Archie encouraged.

"Kay but if I don't like it it's goin out on the road and I'm gonna yell get your roadkill!" she threatened and took a bite. "Oooh this is really good! You made it kinda like a pizza!"

"Now try the soup."

"This is good too…better'n that canned crap!"

Archie nearly choked on his water laughing. "Gisella, the best chefs in town would be scared to death of you. You're the harshest food critic I've ever seen."

"Yeah, Granny don't like me much but if I don't like something I'm not gonna eat it and I'm gonna tell ya…"

Marie groaned.

After dinner they all sat on the sofa in the living room and watched the live version of 101 Dalmatians by demand of a certain five year old. Both Marie and Gisella were focusing all their attention to the movie that they hadn't noticed Archie fell asleep as did Pongo by his feet. Gisella tapped her mother on the arm.

"Mommy…Archie's sleepin….wake him up!" she whispered.

"No…no…let him sleep…he's had a rough day honey." She leaned over and gently removed his glasses, setting them on the end table. "Go grab one of the blankets out of my room."

"Kay…"

"Quietly, Sella!"

The little girl returned a few minutes later with a blanket. Marie draped it over the sleeping therapist and she and Gisella watched the rest of the movie.

"Marie….did I doze off?" he murmured when he opened his eyes a short time later.

"Yeah and you didn't snore either," said Gisella.

"Sella!"

"Oh. I should be going. I'm sorry about that. I didn't realize how tired I was…" he said sheepishly.

"It's all right. You've had a difficult day."

He stood up, grabbed Pongo's leash and hooked it onto the dog's collar and retrieved his jacket and tie. "Maybe we can meet in the park tomorrow?"

"Sella will be there. I….have someplace I have to be tomorrow morning."

His face fell. "Some other time then…or if you want…I could make us dinner again."

_Slow down, Archie! Don't want her to think you're trying to rush her into something! _

She smiled. "That would be nice but you really don't have to go to all that trouble…"

"It's no trouble at all. Good night, Gisella."

"'Night Archie…night Pongo!"

Marie went into the kitchen to clean up and called Julie to remind her to come over to the apartment to watch Gisella while she did a show at the club, a show she didn't want to do but the pay from it would add to the five thousand she already had saved up to buy a car.

"Mommy, Archie left these here," Gisella said from behind her. Marie turned around and saw his glasses in her hand.

"Oh damn! I'll…just stop over at his place before I go to the club and give them back to him." She put them in her purse. "C'mon, Sella time for your bath. Julie will be here in a bit."

"Thought you were firing her."

She would have but not very many people in town would babysit the daughter of a Foxtrot dancer.

Two hours later she was walking to the club when she saw a familiar face. They'd only been friends while cursed, but the sisterly bond Belle and Marie shared in their old world was still there, but only Marie knew they were in fact half-sisters.

"Belle French, you look like you've just been thoroughly kissed by a prince," Marie declared when she saw her sister approaching and threw her arms around her. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to ask the gossips in the diner?" she teased.

"Rumple...he's here. He's Mr. Gold!"

Marie laughed. "I thought so! And I take it you two are...back together?"

"Yes but we're not going to live together until we're married this time."

"Good idea...the way people talk in this town...don't want you to get the rep I have."

"People talk even when there's nothing to talk about," Belle said irritably. "Look at the rumors that were going around back in the Forest! Everyone thought I was the Dark One's mistress or that he was raping me! No matter what I said . . . people assumed because they have dirty little minds."

"And you know the shit Gaston spread about me..."

She glanced down at Archie's glasses. She still couldn't understand why HE enjoyed spending so much time with her. At first she thought he was only coming to see Gisella but now she wasn't so sure.

"I know . . .he's a worse gossip than any girl!" Belle flared. "I hope he's not here too!"

"He is..."

Belle groaned. "Oh my God! He is! He's bloody Mr. Devereaux the stockbroker! And his rude creep of a son is Etienne Devereaux that I had kicked out of my class for trying to look up my skirt!"

Marie snorted. "No shock there. He chased any skirt like his father."

_And when they refused his advances…he raped them…or beat them…like me…_

"I know . . .and it's a good thing Rumple doesn't know about what he did in my class. He'd be tempted to whip his ass . . . or turn him into a toad."

Marie's grip tightened around the glasses, wishing she had Archie there with her now. She felt safe with him though she knew she shouldn't…it was too dangerous.

"What are those? Reading glasses?"

"Umm...no they belong to a...friend...he left them at my place by mistake...don't know how he got home because he can't see good without them." She laughed softly. "I keep telling him he should get contacts but he'd probably forget to take them out at night."

Belle arched an eyebrow. "A friend? Sounds like a good friend. Do I know him?"

"Ummm...you might but it really is nothing more..."

_But what if he wants it to be? What if I want it to be…? _

"Do you think I would care if it was, Marie?" she asked gently. "I've told you before, someday you'll meet someone who . . . doesn't care about your past . . .who loves you for you . . .like I met Rumple."

"He can't...it's complicated..."

"Can you . . .uncomplicate it?" she asked kindly.

_I wouldn't even know where to start…_

"I wouldn't know how...and I don't want to ruin his life..."

"Maybe you just need to take a chance . . ." murmured Belle. "I did . . and look what happened. I found the other half of my heart . . . and I wasn't even looking for it."

"This guy...he's nice and all but he's too good for me."

She glanced down at the glasses again. He was but it was getting more and more difficult for her to keep pretending they were nothing more than friends. They spent nearly every day together.

"I don't believe that. Now you sound like Rumple. He thought that too . . . until I convinced him otherwise."

"Friendship is all I can have with him...and even that may be too much..."

"Why, Marie? Even you deserve a friend . . . besides me."

"You're safe..."

Belle frowned. That was an odd thing to say. "Are you . . . in some kind of trouble?"

"No...no...just after what happened...hard for me to trust a man..."

Belle put her arm around her. "I know, honey. But not all men are like that rotten piece of scum. And there's one out there for you, Marie. You just have to have hope. Love is hope. It fuels our dreams."

They had reached Belle's apartment complex. "Would you like to come in for some tea?" she invited. "My air condition's fixed now. And so is my shower door."

"I really should get these back to him...and I have a show to do at the club tonight…I can only stay a bit..."

Belle nodded. "Oh, Marie! Before you go . . . I have a . . . rather funny story to tell you . . .before the curse broke . . .Mr. Gold came here to . . .see my door . . ."

"And?" Marie smirked.

" . . .umm . . .I didn't know he was coming over that soon . . . and I really needed a shower . . so I was taking one . . .and I had just finished when . . .he came in with his key . . . and the door . . . the door fell OFF . . . and he heard and came to see what the noise was . . .Marie, he thought I was . . . was some old spinster . . . who had fallen and couldn't get up!" Belle was almost convulsed with laughter.

"Oh my God! He saw you...oh that is hysterical!"

" . . . he did . . and I couldn't get my towel . . . it was under the door . .. and I was so embarrassed . . and he was STARING . . . and then he said . . . he said . . ." she told him how snarky he'd been to her. " . . .and I was so mad . . . but then he gave me a towel and called Leroy . . ."

"I would have loved to have seen the look on his face!"

"Oh, it was priceless! But the look on his face when he saw me at school was even better!"

"I'll bet."

"You see . . . he didn't know and neither did I . .. that I was Bae's reading teacher and he was Bae's papa . . .so when he walked in my classroom . . . we were both stunned . . and I was still mad at him . . . for thinking I was a tramp, so I . . . I smacked him one across the face! I think I almost gave him a black eye!"

Marie laughed. "Surprised you didn't go for his ass with the broom. I would."

"I didn't have one. Otherwise I might have!"

"Better invest in one because you know women still ogle him here."

"Yes. I'm going to need one to sweep away all the trash. But none of them are as good as my old birch one I left back in the Dark Castle."

"Have you seen Papa yet?"

"Yes. Bae and I went to see him right after I was reunited with Rumple. I was so glad he seemed to be okay . . .have you seen him?"

"We ahh talked a bit before my friend came over."

"That's good. He would have stayed to eat with us but he had an unexpected delivery and had to go back to the shop."

"My friend...got into some trouble today...first he fell somewhere then that damned mob tried to tie him to a tree!"

"The mob . . . Rumple had to go down to the station and deal with them . . . they were threatening to burn it down and Regina in it! You tell your friend to be careful, Marie. Why tonight Whale came into the diner and tried to start trouble again with Rumple!"

Marie's eyes flashed with anger. "He was in the park with Sella and me when they came barrellassing down the road with their torches and pitchforks, scaring my daughter half to death mind you! But my friend...he...made sure he got us home safely before he went to try to calm everyone down...I tried to tell him not to...that it was too dangerous..."

"I was afraid when Emma called Rumple to ask him to help her . . .even though I know Rumple has magic. Mobs can be very dangerous . . .you remember the riot we had once . . . and how our nurse got trampled . . ."

"Yes…" Marie shivered. "T...That was what I was afraid of...but he said...he…said he would be okay...but I was pacing the floors worrying until he came to see me."

"He's all right now isn't he...with the exception that he can't see without his glasses?" Belle asked her.

"Yes...I wouldn't have allowed him to leave if he wasn't...you know me...mother hen."

Belle laughed. "You're worse than Rumple sometimes!"

"It's the mothering instinct. Speaking of that...have you been seeing the doctor about your monthly issues?"

"Umm . . . I haven't gone yet . . .with everything that's been happening . . .and I don't know if they can tell me anything different than the physicians in our realm."

"Belle, this world's doctors know more than they did. You can't avoid it forever. When you and Rumple get married the issue of having children is going to come up and you can't lie about the possibility that you can't..."

"I know, Marie . . .it's just right now, I can't . . .but I will see a doctor as soon as . . .well, I have time for it . . .I do want to have children with Rumple. He's such a good father . . . and he loves kids . . .I think his ho of a wife was taking something to prevent her from having any more after Bae, that's why he never had more . . ."

Marie took Belle's hand in hers. "I know you're scared, honey but it'll be better if you find out sooner rather than later."

Marie's phone ringing startled her. She took it out and answered it. "Hello?"

"Marie….did I leave my glasses at your apartment?" Archie asked sleepily.

"Yes, I have your glasses right here. I'll bring them over before I go to the club...late show tonight."

"I can come get them in the morning…"

"No, no…it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be over shortly."

"All right…see you then."

"Do you need to go? I'll see you tomorrow then." Belle hugged Marie.

"I would stay but he's going to bed soon and I'd hate to be the reason why he stumbles all over his apartment in the morning..."

"Go on then. I don't want him to fall and hit his head and forget you," she joked.

"He won't..." Marie said softly.

Archie dozed off again on the sofa with Pongo beside him when he heard Marie knocking on his door and almost tripped on the rug when he got up to answer it, his vision blurred by not wearing his glasses. He was still amazed he managed to see well enough to make it home. He would have to make an appointment with his doctor to have his eyes checked.

"Hi," she said softly. "I hope I didn't wake you…."

"No, no….I just dozed off. You could've waited until tomorrow to bring them over…"

"And have you stumbling about? No….it was no trouble at all."

She held them out to him and as he reached for them, their hands touched again. Another vision flashed before their eyes, one that still made no sense to either of them. She was in the same bedroom as the vision she had before, sipping tea and laughing while the same cricket was seated at a little table on the dresser beside the bed, laughing too like they were old friends.

_It's the damned curse…muddling our minds. Damned Cora, _Archie thought bitterly. Had he met Marie in their realm he would've remembered it. This was nothing more than torture. Now more than ever he wished they could find whom the final victim was of the second curse and have them break it…end all of their misery.

_If I met him in our land….I never would have forgotten him, even if he was an insect….because he would have been the same good person he is now…_

"I should be going…before Sly has a conniption," Marie said.

"Be careful."

She smiled faintly. "I can take care of myself."

_Liar. For now…but once Gaston comes around you'll cower before him just like all the other times. _

She would do anything to protect her child….except give him what she knew he really wanted. He'd taken her body once before…she would fight to the death before she allowed him to do it again.

"Good night, Marie."

"Good night, Archie."

Their eyes met, only for a moment. Finally Marie turned and started walking away. Archie watched her turn the corner before he shut his door and sat back down on the sofa. Pongo placed his head in his lap.

"I thought I was happy like this…just the two of us…but I'm not…am I boy?"

Pongo whined.

"I'm just fooling myself….she'll never see me as anything but a friend…"

Pongo nuzzled his hand and looked up at him as if to say _You can't give up now. _

"I don't want to Pongo….but you've seen what my dating experience has been like…one disaster after another…all of them wanted the same thing…and I'm not ready for that…not til I'm married!"

And right now there was only one woman would ever think of marrying….but he had to date her first…if he could even gather enough courage to ask her out.

He knew it was a gamble, her being a dancer at the Foxtrot, but he was confident people would change their minds once they got to see the Marie he did...a lovely woman and a devoted mother.

"And right now…with all that's going on….I don't think we'll have much time to see each other. I have to stand up for Regina too….not everyone saw what I did…what Hatter did. She did try to stop all this…"

Unfortunately she was not strong enough and they weren't done paying the price. Archie feared they never would be.


	4. I've Been Searching So Long

4

~ I've Been Searchin' So Long ~

_There's a strange new light in my eyes_

_Things I've never known_

_Changin' my life_

_Changin' me_

_I've been searchin'_

_So long_

_To find an answer_

_Now I know my life has meaning…_

Chicago – I've Been Searchin So Long

Along with flashes of a shared past he didn't think he had with Marie, other memories came back to Archie in his dreams and not all of them were pleasant. That night he dreamed of the failed break in at Cora's vault.

_Regina was seated at her vanity table. He stood on the table beside her while Jefferson leaned against the wall. A magical shield was also visible suggesting Regina cast it to prevent anyone from hearing what was being discussed._

_"The vault has a blood lock...only my mother's blood can open it."_

_She glanced over at Jiminy. "Can you do it?"_

_"I can Your Majesty. I will just need a few seconds." He held up his umbrella with its pointed tip._

_"Once you open the lock Jefferson and I will go in and look for Daniel's heart."_

_"I will need some way to alert you, Your Majesty if someone approaches."_

_Regina waved her hand over him. "I've made your voice louder...give three short whistles if you see someone."_

_"All right."_

_She stood up. "Let's go."_

_Jefferson went outside to wait for them and waved to them when the coast was clear. Jiminy flew down the hall to the Queen Mother's room. Cora's room was warded but with the help of one of her own spell books, Regina found a counter spell and cast it along with a sleeping spell and kept watch while Jiminy flew over to Cora's bed and poked her arm with the tip of his umbrella to coat it with her blood._

_His task accomplished he flew back to Regina and the two of them teleported to where Jefferson waited. The portal jumper tossed his hat onto the ground and the portal opened. Regina tucked Jiminy into a little pouched she carried, grabbed Jefferson's hand and they jumped in._

_The trio reappeared outside the vault. Jiminy emerged from his pouch and struck the lock with the blood coated tip of his umbrella. The lock glowed with a bright red light and the doors swung open._

_"Good luck, Your Majesty." Outside Jiminy could see several guards approaching and whistled three times before he was struck by an energy blast that burned one of his wings._

_Cora waved her hand and the cricket was drawn into it._

_"Unless you want both of your wings singed, you'll stay right where you are!" she hissed._

_Jiminy was in too much pain to even try._

_Cora handed a bottle filled with black ink to one of the guards. "Use this for my daughter and bring them to me."_

_"You…you won't get away with this…!" Jiminy hissed. _

_"Who's going to stop me, cricket? You? I could just crush you right here!" _

_"Try it!" he challenged. _

_As her hand closed around him, something burned it. "Regina! Bring her…NOW!" _

_A few minutes later guards dragged her and Jefferson out of the vault. Regina had been immobilized by squid ink. _

_"How dare you defy me Regina!" Cora raged._

_"I AM NOT going to let you live your life through me anymore, Mother!"_

_Cora turned her palm over and dropped Jiminy onto the ground_

_"My curses will be cast with or without you Regina. You have a choice...you can either have power or you can be on your knees like the rest of them!"_

_"Then I'll be on my knees."_

_Cora laughed harshly. "I think not. You'll soon see things my way." She waved her hand and Daniel's heart appeared in it. "All I have to do...is squeeze."_

_"No...please...don't!"_

_Cora's fingers tightened around the heart and Regina could hear an agonized scream in the distance._

_"Daniel..." Regina sobbed._

_"Take her back to the palace...and as for those two..." She snapped her fingers and Jefferson and the injured cricket were tossed into the middle of the forest._

_"You okay, Jiminy?" Jefferson asked him._

_"Hurts..." he moaned._

_Jefferson scooped him up and placed him on his shoulder. "Gonna find someone to help you…"_

_The portal jumper tossed his hat, thankful the queen hadn't confiscated it and opened a portal to the Dark Castle._

_"Why...we...here...Dark One!" Jiminy cried before he fainted._

_"Because he's the only person I can trust to help me..." Jefferson muttered and pounded on the door. "Rumple, for the love of the gods OPEN UP! I need your help!" He took Jiminy off his shoulder and cupped him in his free hand. His wing was nearly burned off and there was a burn mark on his back. "It's gonna be okay little guy…oh she burned you bad…" _

_The doors opened and Rumple stood in the hallway. "Hatter, what's going on? Why are you shouting down my walls?" _

_Jefferson held Jiminy out. "Can you help him?" _

_Jiminy awoke and tried to fly away but he was in too much pain. He fell back into Jefferson's hand. _

_Rumple frowned. The cricket had been injured by a mage's energy blast. He could repair the wing but not completely. The cricket would be able to fly but not for long distances without having to stop and rest and the burn on his back would leave a scar he couldn't take away. _

_"This is Snow White's royal advisor. Why are you bringing him to me instead of the Blue Fairy? That's who they would want to take care of him, not the Dark One." _

_"Yeah well when it comes to a life or death situation I'll trust the Dark One over her!" Jefferson declared. _

_"Go ahead and bring him in." _

_"Where's Bae and that pretty girl you have living here." _

_"They went to the village. Upstairs to my lab." _

_Jefferson carefully set Jiminy down on Rumple's worktable. The cricket could barely move and his back felt like it was on fire. _

_"All right…Jiminy…I'm going to put you under a sleeping spell while I work on your wing. It'll be best…the healing process can sometimes be as painful as the injury itself." He waved his hand over the cricket. _

_"S'fine…" he mumbled and drifted off to sleep. _

Archie sat up in bed, sweat dripping down his face. Pongo came over to him and licked his face. "I'm okay boy….it was just a nightmare."

"Woof?"

"Yes…about that again but I'm all right…" He reached for his glasses on the nightstand and put them on. "But I don't think I'll be going back to sleep any time soon." He put in _The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex _hoping watching Errol Flynn and Bette Davis match wits as Elizabeth I and her famed lover would help him forget his nightmare for a while. Pongo rested his head on Archie's lap.

Marie Bordreaux was having a difficult night herself. She was counting on having the next day off but Ashley Boyd was claiming to be too ill to do the afternoon show. Anymore she couldn't stand having to stand up on that stage while men ogled her like she was a piece of meat. And the night only got worse when she heard a knock on the door and a drunken voice calling her name, the same voice she heard in countless nightmares. She wanted to just stay in her room and ignore him hoping he would just go away but he wouldn't and she'd already gotten two noise complaints called in about her. Surprisingly he was less dangerous drunk than when he was sober.

"Marie! Know yer in there…lemme in!" Gaston yelled from the other side of the door, pounding on it with his fist. Gisella came out of her own room rubbing her own eyes and yawning.

"Mommy, what's he doin here?" she demanded.

"Sella, honey go to your room, please." Marie pleaded.

"Mommy, I don't want him here. Make him go 'way…"

"Marie, you open this door or I'll break it down!" he shouted.

"Honey, please…go to your room," she pleaded knowing Gaston would make good on his threat and terrify Gisella.

The little girl did as her mother requested but she grabbed the cordless phone and her mother's purse off the counter first. She sat on the floor beside her bed and searched through her mother's purse until she found the card Archie had given her mother the day before.

In the living room Marie opened the door and Gaston staggered in. "What t'hell took ya so long? You got company Marie?"

"Gaston, Gisella is asleep….can't we talk about whatever it is you want to talk about in the morning?" she pleaded.

"Who says I wanna talk?" he slurred and leered at her.

"I've told you before Gaston…never again!" she cried.

"Why not?" he asked and belched.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You know why! Now get out of here. You're drunk."

"Who're you to tell me to do anything…bitch…" he sneered as he came towards her.

"Get out or I am calling the police!" she threatened.

"Go right ahead. Who're they gonna believe? Some second rate stripper whore or me. I think we both know the answer to that, don't we?"

"Get out…" she repeated and grabbed her cellphone off the coffee table. "All they need to do is smell your breath and you'll be in the drunk tank….won't look good for your clients, will it?"

"Bitch!" He lunged at her. She screamed and ran into the kitchen, grabbing one of the butcher knives out of the drawer and pointing it at him with one hand while her cell phone was in the other, ready to call the police.

"You try to touch me again and I'll kill you," she hissed.

He tried to reach for her again and fell to the floor, vomiting. "Fuck!" he groaned. He struggled to get to his feet and staggered out the door, slamming it behind him. Marie backed against the wall still holding the knife in her hand and burst into tears. She'd been lucky…this time.

In her room Gisella heard her mother crying and frantically dialed the number she found on the card in her purse. Marie taught the little girl how to use the phone herself in case of an emergency.

Archie had just fallen asleep when his cell phone rang. He knocked his drink off his nightstand reaching for it and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Archie…Mommy's really upset an scared…an I don't know what to do!" he heard a terrified Gisella cry on the other end.

"Gisella?" He sat up abruptly. "What happened? Is she hurt?"

"No….she's just scared an crying…"

"All right…are you with her?"

"No…m'in my room…she doesn't want me to come out when HE shows up."

"Gisella….I want you to listen to me: I'm coming over there and I want you to go to your mother until I do and lock the door. Understand?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'll see you soon." He hung up and jumped out of bed, grabbing some clothes out of the dresser. Pongo, sensing something was wrong raced to the door and pulled his lead down off the coat rack.

"Come on boy. Marie and Gisella need us. And if that bastard laid a hand on either of them I'm going to kill him!"

Pongo growled in agreement.

Normally the drive to Marie's apartment would've taken him fifteen minutes but he was there in half the time from breaking the speeding limits and running a red light or two, not as risky in a small town like Storybrooke and if Emma or Hatter would've dared to pull him over, he was going to give both of them an earful.

When he got to the apartment building he ran upstairs to the second floor and tapped on the door with his umbrella. "Marie, it's Archie…" he called softly.

"A…Archie….what…." Marie gasped.

"I called him Mommy," said Gisella. She was sitting on the floor with Marie with the phone in her hand. Her mother, still crying was having trouble breathing and she was shaking but when the little girl wanted to call an ambulance, her mother wouldn't let her, insisting she would be fine in a few minutes.

"Go…let him in….sweetie…."

Gisella ran to the door and yanked it open. Archie dropped his umbrella onto the floor and hurried to Marie's side, immediately recognizing the signs of an anxiety attack. "Marie….it's all right…Gisella…why don't you and Pongo go in your room while I talk to your mom?" he suggested.

"Kay. C'mon Pongo!" The Dalmatian made a mad dash for the child's room.

"Thank you…don't like…her seeing me…like this…"

Nor did he want anyone to see him in such a state when he recalled being attacked by Cora. It was only happening in his nightmares for now but back in their old world the memories sent him into an anxiety attack that Jeff or Snow usually talked him through. During the curse, the scar he had on his back was attributed to being burned with a hot object and he'd had that happen several times and many times Geppetto was the one to talk him through it. The rest of the time he utilized some of the techniques he learned through reading with Pongo at his side.

One of the most effective treatments he had for his own attacks was practicing deep breathing and muscle relaxation. He wasn't sure if either would work with her but he was willing to try it.

"Let's work on your breathing first."

"Okay…"

He grabbed a pillow off the sofa and placed it under her head as he helped her lie down on the floor, coaching her on her breathing until it returned to normal.

"That's better, Marie…much better."

Though she found the breathing technique relaxing, it was hearing his voice and having him at her side that had the most calming effect on her.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with this…"

"Marie, I deal with things like this every day…even at home."

"You…have panic attacks? Why?"

"We'll talk about it later. Right now my main concern is you." He helped her to her feet and led her over to the sofa. Once she was comfortable he went to check on Gisella. She'd fallen back to sleep and Pongo lay by her feet, protecting her as he did Archie.

"Is Sella asleep?" Marie asked when he returned to the living room.

"Yes. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"You know he's Gisella's father but….I don't love him…I never have."

"Wasn't he betrothed to Belle in our land?"

"Yes….until I told our father what he did to me…"

"Did he rape you?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "I was nineteen…every inch as headstrong as Belle but I was being courted by our father's scribe…Pierre. He was the gentlest soul I'd ever met but….he was also gravely ill…"

"Marie, I'm so sorry."

She didn't dare tell him her sweet Pierre met his end far sooner than to be expected and it hadn't been from the rheumatic fever but poison by Gaston so that he could try to get Marie to himself since Belle was keeping him at bay. She blamed Axelle Villette and her equally vile sister Antoinette for that. Both girls spread vicious lies about them, branding Belle and Marie lightskirts though both were still maidens at the time.

"After he died, Gaston started…pursing me a bit more forcefully and one night out in the stables he…he...you know the rest," she croaked.

"How did you explain what happened?"

"I lied….claimed it was some stable hand that took off afterwards…and Papa believed me. He's not my foster father as I've led everyone to believe….he's my real father…" she confessed. "You don't look surprised."

"I'm not," he admitted. "There is a bit of a resemblance between you and Belle…but she and Maurice aren't aware of the truth, are they?"

"No."

"You should tell them."

"Archie, Maurice was unfaithful to Belle's mother with mine for years and we're only ten months apart in age. How do you think that will make her feel?"

"If I know Belle like I think I do, it won't matter. You're her sister. And as for your father, he isn't ashamed of you obviously or he never would have legitimized you. You should tell them, Marie," he insisted.

"I will…I just don't feel comfortable doing it now…we've all just gotten our memories back…and some we still don't have…"

_And some that made no sense. _

"When you feel you're ready, we'll talk about it."

She chuckled. "You're sounding more like a therapist now, did you know that?"

"I've been one so long that I have a difficult time taking the hat off so to speak."

"I know you can't talk about your other patients…but I can see the difference in some of those kids…the gang ones. Especially Baelfire…Rumple's son."

"It still astounds me that children that young were killing each other with guns, grenades and knives…"

"This world is as violent as our old one…and worse given the technology it has….creates more dangerous weapons."

"What happened….was a brutal wakeup call…for all of us…and a reminder to not take our loved ones for granted…"

Marie glanced in the direction of her daughter's room. "I didn't plan on having her but I wouldn't give her up for anything. She's more like me than him and I'm grateful for that. After everything settles down with Regina I am going to see what Rumple can do for me about child support."

"I would also consider a restraining order Marie," he advised. "And you should've called the police about tonight."

She knew Gaston would find a way around it. He found a way around everything when it came to her.

"I know…"

"He's dangerous."

_You have no idea just how dangerous, Archie and if you did…_

She had to be careful. If Gaston suspected Archie was spending so much time with her, there was no telling what he would do. She didn't agree to meet with him unless she was certain Gaston was at work or doing something else.

"I'll take care of it…" she promised.

He wanted to believe her but there was a nagging voice in the back of his mind cautioning him that she was only telling him what he wanted to hear.

He stayed with her until just after midnight then returned home. He had several appointments that day, two of them with members of the Scorpions, one with a woman named Ursula Gordon and one with Regina. He was always uneasy during Ursula's sessions because she was starting to exhibit obsessive behavior and he was considering sending her to another therapist in Boston or somewhere closer. It was difficult not to be relieved when her time was up.

"Come on in Becky," he greeted the teenage Scorpion once known as Fury when he opened his door and saw her sitting patiently in the hall with her boyfriend Ewan. His appointment was after Becky's. "Would you like some tea?"

"C'mon Doc, I don't drink that crap."

"I'm sorry I forgot. " He handed her a bottle of water. "Now the last time we spoke you mentioned still having some issues at home."

"Yeah….the parasite slutbag bitch is still there."

"You're referring to your cousin, Kristine? And there's been no change?"

"Nope….I'm back to being invisible like I was before I took off."

"Did you speak to your parents about it like I suggested?"

"Doc, I tried, I really did but it's a waste of time. They don't give a shit about me…not when SHE's around….she's the queen of her own fuckin drama and a slut to boot and if she thinks I'm gonna lie for her like I did before she better think again."

"Lie for her about what?" Archie inquired softly.

"She's screwing an old married guy…bringing him to the house while Mom's at work…or meeting him somewhere…been doing that for years…married guys, losers, dirtballs…it has a dick, she goes after it," the teenager said bitterly. "And when I was a kid….I thought we were like sisters so I lied for her…but I'm tired of doing it Doc….she doesn't want to be my sister…she wants to take my place as my parents' daughter and I hate it. I HATE HER!"

"This Kristine is in her late twenties…is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Can she afford a place of her own?"

"She'd have to spend a lot of time on her back or knees to do that, Doc."

He sighed. "Becky, your parents aren't going to become aware of how this situation with your cousin is affecting you unless you sit them down and talk to them about it. Now, I can set up a session with all of you and…"

"NO WAY!"

"Becky…"

"You'd be wastin' your breath too."

"You're obviously not comfortable about confronting your parents about your cousin on your own which is why I think a family session is in order."

"That means SHE'LL have to be here. Oh greaaattt!"

"That is necessary, yes."

"Well you better wear some kind of slut repellant Doc because the parasite would probably try to hit on you."

_She's not my type, _he thought. "I think I can handle it. If I set up this session, will you be here?"

"Yeah….I just don't know if I can say…"

He took her hand in his and patted it gently. "I'll be right here with you. You need to do this, Becky. After what you've been through…you need your family probably more than they realize."

"Okay….if you think it'll do any good…"

He smiled. "I'll do everything I can to make sure everything goes well."

"Mommy, are we gonna see Archie today?" Gisella demanded of her mother that morning at breakfast.

"I don't know honey. He might…be busy…."

Gisella scowled and stabbed at her pancake with her fork. When she took a bite out of it, she threw her fork back down. "Mommy, not again!" She picked the pancake up with her fingers and ran to the window, opening it and tossing it out. It landed on the road. "Get your roadkill!" she shouted. Several people on the street looked up and shook their heads.

"Gisella," Marie groaned and rolled her eyes.

"How come you burned my pancakes? You didn't do it 'fore!?"

_Because my mind was on something else other than the stove…no…someone…_

"I'm sorry sweetie. I just have a lot on my mind," she said.

"You're gonna havta take more cooking lessons with Archie if you keep making roadkill," her daughter said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

_Now why does that idea sound so appealing? _

"Come on, honey. I have to drop you off at Julie's early today."

"Okay," Gisella sighed. She was going to have a miserable day if she couldn't see Archie and Pongo and Mission: Replace Bad Daddy would have a slight delay.

Marie decided to make a pit stop to Belle's before the afternoon show at the club. When she opened the door she found her sister dumping an ice bucket on herself while she was talking on the phone.

"What has you hot and bothered?" she asked with a smirk. Belle blushed.

"Rumple? Are you still there?" Belle was asking him

"Probably needed some ice himself," Marie giggled.

"Oh, go in the other room til I'm done or call your own boyfriend!" Belle cried.

"He's not my boyfriend Belle!" Marie protested.

_You might want to think about that one a bit, Marie._

"Don't care...GIT! Yes...by a certain nosy lady in waiting who needs to go talk to her own boyfriend," Belle was saying to Rumple.

"Well if you two are going to make out on the phone...I'll just go in the living room and watch TV..." Marie joked.

"Til next time darling..." Belle crooned.

As Marie was debating whether to call Archie, his number flashed across her phone.

"Hello Marie."

"Hello."

"You didn't have any more problems last night, did you?"

"No...everything was fine..."

"Marie, I have to go downtown to the courthouse," Belle said to her when she came into the room.

"Hold on a moment…okay?" Marie asked Archie. "For what?"

"I'm on the jury for Regina's trial."

Marie frowned. "I think some people will have a problem with that."

"You're right, they would." Archie said.

"Why? Midas chose me."

"Yes but you're dating the defense attorney..."

"That's their problem, not mine," Belle said.

"You know the harpies in this town...you have to keep things a secret to get them to leave you alone."

_Like the fact that the town's kindest man is friends with an exotic dancer…_

Belle groaned. "People always talk, Marie. Let them. I'm not going to let some narrow minded bigoted harpies tell me what to do."

"And they'll think he'll influence you..."

"He won't. I have more integrity than that . . and so does he."

"Even if they do find her not guilty, who's to say that mob won't attack again?"

"I'm sure they won't. Once they see some kind of justice being done . . . they'll stop going crazy. Unless they want to face the wrath of the Dark One."

"Once all this blows over...we need to have a girls day...you, me, and Sella."

"Yeah at the spa . . .I'll need one then," Belle laughed.

"You need to get married first...all that waiting..."

"I know . . .and we will . . . when it's time . . .in a few months . . .we're not quite ready yet, Marie."

"After what I saw? I doubt that. You want to make love to him so badly you could burn down this apartment!"

"Marie!" Archie screeched over the phone. "Good gods woman!"

"It's not just about me . . .people need to see us as a couple . . . we need to keep down the gossip . . .in a few months we'll marry."

"If you can hold off that long," Marie teased.

"I can . . .it'll be hard but . .. I'll manage."

"I do not need to hear this…" Archie muttered.

"Even back in our world you two had something amazing...I'll never know what that's like..."

_Yes you will…if you would give me a chance…_Archie was thinking as he held the phone to his ear, loving the sound of her voice even if some of the things she was saying were making him blush.

"Yes, you will. You just have to believe . . ."

_Easier said than done Belle, _they were both thinking.

Marie looked down at her phone. "Shit...I'm going to be late...damned afternoon show...should just tell them I'm sick!" She jumped up. "I'll see you when things settle down Belle and when you two finally go out...details!"

"Okay . . . you'll be the first to know . . .now I gotta get down to the courthouse before I get arrested or whatever . . ."

Marie laughed.

"See you later Belle."

"Give Sella a hug and a kiss from me," Belle said and hugged her.

"I will," Marie said and hurried off. "Archie, I'm sorry I left you hanging like that…" she said once she was outside.

"Tell them you are sick, Marie. I only have four appointments scheduled today and my last one leaves at two so I have the rest of the day to myself…and I don't want to spend it in my apartment watching movies…"

_Hopper, you sound desperate….now cut it out! _

"I would, Archie, I really would but Sly would fire me in a heartbeat."

"For being sick?" he asked angrily.

"That's how he is."

She heard a beeping indicating one of them was getting another call. "Who's phone is that? Yours or mine?"

"Mine. It's Rumple. I guess we'll talk later then?"

"Yes. Goodbye, Archie."

"Goodbye, Marie." He switched to Rumple. "I was on another call. What can I do for you?"

"Archie, I just talked with Regina and Hatter and both reminded me of an incident that I didn't remember until now that will help Regina's case. You were attacked by Cora that day you tried to break into her vault?"

"Yes…and Hatter brought me to you to try to heal me."

"I know this may sound a bit morbid but is it possible you still have that scar on your back that you had as a cricket."

"Yes I still have it…" he murmured.

"Would you feel comfortable showing it to the jury?"

He wasn't really but he would do so if it would help Regina.

"I suppose I could…"

"Good. Are you able to come to the police station so we can discuss some details?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

When he arrived at the station, Rumple was scolding Jefferson.

"Why didn't you tell me when you brought him to me to heal that was WHY he was attacked?" Rumple demanded of Jeff.

"I wasn't thinking, okay!"

"Jefferson...had we gotten hold of that umbrella she never would've been able to cast the curse," Regina said.

"Why would taking my item back make the difference?" asked Archie, recalling the older witch taking his umbrella away from him.

"Because the spell wouldn't be complete...She already had the other two items mixed into the potion..."

"Oh...I see..."

"And without it she couldn't have cast the curse," Rumple told him.

"Regina sighed. "Trying to get that back...and Daniel's heart...again...was what Jiminy wanted to do before both curses were cast."

"Then I'll make sure to bring that up during the trial," the attorney said. "As well as another thing. Jeff, what can you tell me about the Wonderland rescue attempt? I know it failed, but how did you ever get the idea to do so . . . and what happened to prevent you from getting Prince Henry back?

"It was my fault...I asked him to." Regina lowered her head.

"When did you learn where Cora was keeping your father?" Rumple queried gently. "Was it before or after your arranged marriage to Leopold?"

"After...she made a deal with the White King to keep my father in exchange for training the woman he wanted to marry in magic."

"And who was this woman he wished to become his wife?"

"Anastasia Tremaine... Cinderella's stepsister."

Rumple's eyebrows went up. "So your mother was not only teaching you but another apprentice? In her palace? Or did she go to Wonderland?"

"She went to Wonderland...used looking glasses as portals."

"And this Anastasia . . .did she eventually become the White King's bride?"

"No...Cora killed the White King and took Wonderland after Regina exiled her. She also prevented Anna from rebelling against her by taking her lover's heart."

"Typical Cora. Stealing hearts for hostages is what she does best." Rumple sneered. "What happened with the attempt, Jeff? What went wrong?"

"Cora had the hearts of the entire army and a tracking spell on Regina and me that traced us to the vault where Henry was being kept...shrunken with a mushroom. As soon as Regina touched the drawer where her father was, she was frozen. Cora had it coated with squid ink."

"I had gloves on but the lock required me to touch it with my bare hand to try to open it," Regina added.

"One of these days I'm going to have to invent a potion to counter that damned ink," Rumple scowled. "There must be one, since the ink occurs naturally in the giant squids deep in the ocean."

"Every attempt I made to stop the curse...that was what she had to immobilize me," Regina said ruefully.

"Of course, dearie. It's the one substance known to immobilize mages without fail. But she must have had a great supply of it to have it on hand all the time."

"She did...I saw for myself when I was studying the layout of the palace for an attack by Snow's army," said Archie. He usually conducted his scouting missions at night after everyone else was asleep and discovered where Cora's lab was and in it were thousands of vials of squid ink.

"Hmm . . . wonder if she made a deal with Ursula or something?" Rumple mused.

"You're lucky you weren't burned during those little late night spy flights Archie!" Jeff exclaimed.

"You forget what I was raised by. They taught me more than just running cons and picking pockets."

He was taught to study his marks carefully before he hit them. _Not that I'm proud of it mind you, _he thought bitterly.

"I do recall Mother making many visits near Atlantica..." Regina murmured.

"If we could somehow get Anastasia to tell us what she knows...it could help!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Cora has Will Scarlet's heart...she won't take the risk."

"What if there was a way to speak with her without Cora knowing?" Rumple said thoughtfully.

"I know Anna...sometimes uses a looking glass to speak to Will," said Jeff. "Girl's not stupid. She paid attention to Cora's lessons but she also learned things on her own. I know that for a fact because she tried to release me."

"Then perhaps I can contact her on my mirror . . which is warded from any attempts by Cora to listen in on it," Rumple suggested.

"That's good but we need some way to record what she says, Rumplestiltskin. The jury will not go by our word alone," Archie pointed out.

"I believe I have an enchanted sand dollar in my shop that will do that. I received it in payment for helping Ariel to gain her legs so she could be with Eric."

"Call her, Rumple," Regina said softly. "And if we can...tell her we'll try to help her."

"All right, dearie." He summoned the sand dollar to him and then the mirror. "This mirror I made myself, spent a month doing so, but it's the only one I could be sure of that didn't bear any remnants of glass or sand from other mirrors Cora had collected that could be used to track me."

It was a large standing full length mirror, with a gilded frame with climbing roses and fanciful beasts on it. The glass was a smooth beveled oval shape.

"Now what do we do?"

Rumple shook his head ruefully. "Oh the time I had getting the glass to set right. Sometimes it would blister for no reason. And I nearly skinned Bae for running all over the castle and making the floor shake."

Rumple made a come hither gesture with a hand and the mirror swirled with gray smoke.

A blond haired woman in a red dress appeared. "Who summons me?"

"I do, dearie. Rumplestiltskin, once known as the Dark One."

"You risk much...Cora would have your heart."

The other woman scanned the room on the other side of the glass pleased when she saw a familiar face. "Hatter...hello."

"Hello, Anna. We need to ask you a few questions. Regina is on trial for casting the Dark Curse and we need you to help us with the case to prove her innocence," Jeff said. "We're gonna, uh, record your conversation with Rumple so others can see how Cora blackmailed her into casting it by keeping her father in Wonderland . . .and how she later had him killed."

Anna's lower lip trembled. "I am guilty of your father's death, Regina."

"Now, I need you to tell me, concisely and truthfully what happened," Rumple said. "I need facts, no exaggeration, speculation, or embellishments. This is a court of law, not a minstrel convention."

He waved a hand and activated the sand dollar.

"I am aware of that! Shortly before that curse was cast, Regina and Jefferson came to Wonderland. I was training with Cora in the Hearts palace when she sensed intruders near her vault there."

"She ordered me to come with her so that I could learn how to properly punish those who would defy me when I became queen."

"When we arrived, Regina was immobilized by squid ink and Jefferson in custody by the White and Heart armies. Cora instructed me to remove Jefferson's heart."

The young woman flinched. "I'd...never taken a heart before...and I was terrified. "I told her I couldn't...then she summoned Will's...the man I love...and started to squeeze it…I could hear him SCREAMING!"

Attack what you love the most; Cora was good at that as Archie had seen during their own unsuccessful attempt at the vault.

"Then...suddenly...oddly…she had a change of heart and decided he was more useful alive."

"And then what happened?" Rumple encouraged.

"She took him and his hat into custody and warned me to keep him locked up until she needed him to cross realms."

Archie glanced over at Regina, a suspicion they both had confirmed. Cora had a backup plan in case her daughter attempted to double cross her.

"And Regina? What did she do with her?" he queried.

"She sent her back told me she had other ways of keeping her daughter in line rather than just killing her. I know what it was...all too well."

"Yes. She held the man Regina loved's heart too," Rumple said. "How did Jeff get free and why did you kill Henry, Anna?"

"Will helped him get his hat back but then Cora confiscated it. It was Percy who helped him escape. And...I didn't kill Henry by choice...it was either I crushed his heart...or she would crush Will's..."

"Why would she use you and not do it herself? She was certainly capable of it," Rumple asked then.

"She wanted to show me that for me to be the queen I wanted to be...I could not have any weakness and my love for Will was my weakness. He begged me to let her kill him."

"Evil bitch!" Jeff swore. "Maybe we could...try again to free you Anna."

"The only way to free me...and yourselves from Cora is breaking the second curse."

"Why do you say that, dearie?" Rumple asked. "What is the price of breaking the Curse of the Broken Hearted?"

"The life of the caster," explained Anna. "You must find out who the final primary target was...only that person can break the curse."

"It could be any one of us," Archie said.

"Yes...and to find out you must know the order in which the objects used to cast it were taken. Cora is not a fool...she would not let anyone know what the proper order was. And your curse breaker...will have one unique quality but I do not remember what it was."

"Nor do I, my memories were tampered with because of it," Rumple sighed. "But that is a puzzle we must solve another time," the sorcerer said regretfully. "For now it is enough that you have given testimony to support the fact that Regina did indeed try and prevent the curse from being cast. Thank you for doing so."

"You're welcome. I need to go before she suspects something...break the curse and free us all!"

"Easier said than done when we don't know who the hell is supposed to do it!" Jeff grumbled.

"We can concentrate on that some other time. Right now we have a case to win," Rumple told him. He picked up the sand dollar and spun it on Emma's desk. It sparkled and glowed and when it fell on its side, Anastasia's form was projected to that all could see and hear her speaking and you could also see and hear Mr. Gold.

"There! A magical video," the pawnbroker chuckled, and he waved a hand and the sand dollar went dark. He picked it up and put it in his pocket.

"Regina, hold up a moment…you said we made a second attempt to recover Daniel's heart? I don't remember that. When did this happen?" Archie asked her.

"It was just before Maurice Bordreaux's ball," Regina answered. "But I didn't want you to get hurt again…so I banished you to the Infinite Forest."

He suspected there was more to the story judging by the pained expression on her face.

"What are you leaving out, Regina?" he demanded.

"Nothing. I just…didn't like doing that to you but I felt it was the only way I could protect you."

"I didn't care about myself Regina. You knew that. I would have died to keep that curse from being cast, from both of those curses being cast."

"Any one of us would have, dearie," Rumple said. "The only thing we can do now is repair the damage they've caused. It won't happen overnight but we have plenty of time to work on it."

And they would start at the trial.

Archie sat among the spectators while he waited to be called to the stand. He was expecting to be called by Rumple but when Spencer called his name he was uneasy. He sat down in the witness box and smiled though inside he was seething. What was that viper up to?

"Now...our land you were once known as Jiminy Cricket, former advisor to Snow White, correct?"

"That is correct."

"And in this land, you are a psychologist?"

"Yes." _Don't even think about it you poor excuse for a…_

"Now...did Regina Mills bring her son Henry to you for treatment?"

"She did."

"What issues did she claim the boy was having?"

"Mr. Spencer, I'm afraid I cannot answer that question because I would be in violation of my oath to maintain doctor-patient confidentiality," Archie stated firmly. The attorney glared at him. Archie glared back.

"I'll ask you AGAIN Doctor Hopper...what issues did Regina claim the boy was having? It was because he was getting close to the truth about the curse, wasn't it?"

"Objection! Badgering the witness!" Rumple shouted and rose to his feet.

"Overruled. The witness will answer."

"What?!" Archie exclaimed and gaped at the judge. Was the man insane? Stupid? Blind?

"Your Honor, the witness cannot answer the question as it is phrased. It presents a conflict of interest with his confidentiality oath." Rumple protested.

"And I'm NOT answering it no matter how he phrases it!" Archie said angrily.

"Your Honor, the defendant's son as we all know obtained knowledge of the curse and the queen's involvement prior to it being broken and the boy was being treated by Doctor Hopper."

"The rules are different here, gentlemen...Doctor Hopper is not bound by his oath."

"E...Excuse me..." Archie said through gritted teeth. _Since when, you ignorant jackass? _He glared at Thomas now. "Are you honestly telling me that because we're not from this land medical ethics doesn't apply?"

"Watch yourself, Doctor Hopper."

"Oh go to hell! I am NOT going to violate my oath just because we're not from here. Are you insane?" he demanded.

"One more outburst and you'll find yourself in contempt, Doctor Hopper with a thousand dollar fine and three days in jail!"

"This is RIDICULOUS!" he yelled. "I am NOT answering his question so if you want to throw me in jail, throw me in jail!"

"Very well...bailiff, take Doctor Hopper into custody!"

"Your Honor, might I ask why medical confidentiality is suddenly declared inadmissible?" Rumple was asking while the bailiff approached the witness box escort Archie out of the courtroom.

"Isn't it obvious, Gold...he clearly has evidence pointing to Regina's guilt. Now if he refuses to answer, we'll put the boy on the stand."

"No you won't!" shouted Archie as he was being led away. He looked right at the jury. "How the hell is THIS a fair trial I ask you?"

"Get him out of here and if you keep it up it'll be five thousand dollars and five days in jail!" Thomas threatened.

"Ignorant asshole!"

"That's it Hopper, I warned you!"

"Warn me all you want…you KNOW this is wrong. What the hell has gotten into you?! This is a damned farce…you put Henry on that stand Spencer and you're going to see it blow up in your face…AND I WISH I COULD SEE IT, YOU STUPID BASTARD!" he screamed while he was being led away.

"Come on, Doctor Hopper."

"Jimmy, I know you're just doing your job but this is insane!"

"Off the record Doc, I agree with you but I gotta do what the judge says."

"I'll take it from here," said Deputy Arthur Pendragon outside. "Watch your head Doc," he advised as he put Archie in the back of his squad car. "You know cricket, you've got big ones…mouthing off to the judge like that."

"People have a tendency to underestimate me," Archie murmured. "My conscience took a backseat during the curse and I've just started listening to it again."

"Think we all need to do that," agreed the deputy.

"….I can't believe they did that!" hissed Arista to Marie while they were sitting in the back of the courtroom, having managed to wheedle Sly into giving them the day off so that they could attend, not surprised when Zelena didn't go to support her sister.

"I know and he's right….he CAN'T tell them anything nor would he. He's not that kind of man," Marie said softly.

"He's gonna be in there till Gold bails him out I guess."

"Oh no, he's not! Come on. We're going back to my place."

"Marie, you were saving that money to buy a car!"

"I know but he shouldn't spend another minute in jail than he has to."

"Now tell me you're not in love with him," Arista challenged.

"We're just friends!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

When they got back to Marie's apartment she unlocked the small safe in her bedroom and took out the five thousand dollars, her entire savings and tucked it into an envelope. Then she called the police station.

"I'd like to pay Doctor Hopper's bail," she said.

"You know it's five grand, right?' Emma asked.

"Yes I know Sheriff and I have it…in cash. I have only one stipulation….neither he nor anyone else in town is to know who paid it….do you understand?"

_He'll be furious with me if he finds out…_

"Okay….your secret's safe with me."

"I'll be down shortly."

Emma met her outside the station and Marie handed her the envelope. Emma counted it and tucked it into her jacket pocket. "This isn't usually how I do this. Why the cloak and dagger?"

"I just didn't feel he belonged in there for standing up for Regina and your son's rights."

"Neither did I."

"I have your word you won't tell him?"

"How can I when I don't know who you are?"

"I'm going to hold you to that sheriff," Marie said and walked away.

Archie wasn't a stupid man. He was going to find out sooner or later and be upset.

He lay on the cot in his cell glaring up at the ceiling. Deputy Pendragon graciously allowed him to call Geppetto and ask him to take care of Pongo for a few days and even bring the Dalmatian to the station to see him if he was allowed to because if Spencer had his way, Archie would spend all five days in jail.

"Hopper! Your bail's been posted," Emma said when she approached the cell and unlocked it.

"What? By Rumple?"

"No…some woman…wouldn't give her name. You have a secret admirer?"

_She didn't…!_

"I…no, no I don't," he said quickly. "Is she still here?"

"No, she left."

"Thank you Sheriff. He grabbed his coat and umbrella and raced out of the station. A few minutes later the phone rang in the sheriff's station. It was Rumple calling also inquiring about Archie's bail but he was already on his way to Marie's apartment.

She and Gisella were on their way home from the park. Gisella was upset, having heard Archie was in jail from Jason. His mother was laughing about it when Marie arrived to take Gisella home.

"Of course you would think it's funny Zelena since your little gravy train was the one who put him there when he refused to stoop to his level and violate his confidentiality oath!" Marie yelled.

"Regina is going to burn at the stake and there's nothing you, Rumple or your shrink lover can do about it!" Zelena taunted.

Gisella opened her water bottle and tossed some of it onto the former witch. "Why don't you melt you mean ole witch?" she complained.

"You throw water on me again you little brat and I'll make you bald!"

"Lay a hand on my daughter and you'll lose it, Zelena!" Marie snarled. "Come on, Sella."

"Bye Sella!" Jason called after her.

Archie was waiting for them outside their apartment building. Gisella ran up to him and hugged his legs. "You're outta jail!" she cried.

"Yes I am," he said and glanced at Marie. "We need to talk."

"Archie…not out here…"

Marie sent Gisella to her room to color once they were inside though the little girl wasn't happy about it.

"Archie, I know you're upset…" Marie began while he was pacing the room.

"You didn't have to do that. You needed that money for yourself and Gisella and I'm paying you back every penny as soon as the bank opens tomorrow!"

"You didn't belong in there. What the hell were Spencer and Thomas thinking!?"

"I don't know what Thomas was thinking but Spencer is a snake and I'm not shocked he was bold enough to try that but I'm not telling them a damned thing." He sat down and took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes. "It's only going to get worse I'm afraid."

She sat beside him. "Regina is lucky to have you supporting her. You know she wouldn't stand a chance without all of you helping her."

"Most of you have only seen what she was like as the Evil Queen but there's still good in her. I just hope when Rumple calls me back up there I can make everyone see everything the way I did."

She reached across the sofa and patted his hand. "I'm sure you will."

"Mommy, what're we havin for dinner?" Gisella asked.

"I don't know yet. Maybe I'll just order a pizza."

"Yeah cause I don't wanna eat roadkill again today!"

Archie chuckled. "Marie, what did you do to get your cooking declared roadkill again?"

"She burned my pancakes!" Giselle tattled. "Can't you cook something?"

"Honey, it's a bit late. I'll tell you what: why don't I go down to Granny's and get us dinner? What do you want?" he asked.

"You don't have to do that!" Marie protested.

"You just spent five thousand dollars to bail me out of jail and you don't want me to buy you dinner? It's the least I can do."

"Oh, all right. I'll have a hamburger and fries. Sella?"

"I want chicken nuggets and onion rings."

Archie smiled. "Dinner is coming m'ladies."

Unfortunately the dinner was busy that night. He'd been waiting almost half an hour for his order when Rumple arrived with Belle and suddenly all attention was on them as he suspected it would be since she was on the jury. He didn't know the school teacher that well but she was more than capable of judging Regina's case without any interference.

"Jury tampering if I ever saw it!"

Archie groaned and looked over to see Keith Nottingham approaching the couple and leering at Belle. His hand gripped the handle of his umbrella, ready to knock some sense into the lout, not that he needed to when Rumple could handle it quite well on his own.

"No need to visit the graveyard for a man, honey."

"He's more of a man than YOU are!" Belle retorted.

"It still work, Gold, or do you need Viagra?"

"He's talking himself into an early grave..." whispered Grumpy.

"Keep shooting your mouth off, dearie, and you're going to need a replacement one . . .with batteries. Because I'm going to break it."

"Don't wanna go to jail...or do you...have a little threesome with her and the mayor?"

"You...PIG!" Belle hissed.

"Granny better call Swan n' Hatter to come get a body!"

"Take it outside, Rumple!" ordered Granny.

"I never should have given you your tongue back, you foul-mouthed piece of shit." Rumple grabbed his cane and poked it into Keith's chest. "Come outside and we'll finish this, you drunken ape! And I can break both YOUR legs and put you in the hospital! Or I can just magic your ass into roadkill right here! Choose!"

"Darling, he's not worth it..."

"Kick his ass, Dark One!"

_Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything. You know that more than most of us, Rumplestiltskin, _Archie thought with a frown. He had an idea Rumple was trying to fight off the dagger curse and giving into his anger would let the entity inside him take control and destroy what was left of his humanity.

Rumple poked his cane again into the other's chest and snarled, "C'mon, you baby raping piece of trash!"

"Hold it back Rumple, " Archie mumbled.

"Rumple...hold it back..." he heard Belle pleading and she stood up to take his hand. Archie breathed a sigh of relief. She would keep him anchored to his humanity.

"The ONLY reason why you're still breathing . . .Keith .. . is because of HER!" He Rumple jerked his head at Belle. "Otherwise your guts would be decorating the wall right now!"

"You . . you need anger management classes!" Keith slurred.

"No, I don't," Rumple retorted. "YOU need shut the fuck up classes!"

"Oh my gods!" Archie laughed hysterically, nearly dropping his bags of takeout.

"You need AMED Doctor Hopper?" one of the waitresses asked him after the scum that was Keith Nottingham finally realized he was fighting a losing battle and hightailed it.

"No…but that was a good one!"

"Doc, those onion rings are about done."

"Okay."

"Whew…." The waitress exclaimed and fanned herself.

"What now?" He turned around and saw Rumple and Belle feeding each other fries, the looks they were giving each other hot enough to light the room on fire.

_Gods, what I wouldn't give to have Marie look at ME like that…!_

_Keep dreaming, Hopper. It's never going to happen. _

Then the couple kissed. He could almost imagine how it would feel to finally kiss Marie….somewhere other than in dreams.

"Your onion rings are ready, Doc."

Archie grabbed the bag from the waitress's hand, picked up the rest of his takeout and ran out the door, whistling Along Comes a Woman.

Marie looked up at the clock wondering what was taking Archie so long and making matters worse Gisella was starting to get cranky as she always did when she was hungry. Archie came in a few minutes later out of breath.

"What did you do….run all the way back here?"

"Yes…" he gasped. "And let's not talk about how out of shape I am."

The three of them sat at the table in the kitchen eating their take out, acting very much like a family even though they were not and every day it was getting more and more difficult for him to say goodbye though he would most likely see them sometime the next day. It just wasn't enough anymore. The trouble was, every time he thought about asking Marie if they could see each other openly he lost his nerve, fearing she would say no. He hoped things would change after Regina's trial was over.


	5. Now

5

~ Now ~

_If there's something you want to say then say it now_

_If there's someone you want to love then love them now_

_You don't want to miss all this_

_'Cause it would be the biggest mistake of your life to never try__…_

Chicago – Now

Archie made a mad dash for the bank the following morning, grateful it opened at eight instead of nine, otherwise he would be late for court and Rumple would have his head because he was the first witness the attorney would put on the stand for his defense of Regina. The teller didn't bat an eyelash when he calmly asked to withdraw five thousand dollars from his account. Everyone was assuming Rumple bailed him out which was fine with him. Marie didn't need the aggravation of the gossip if anyone found out it was her.

He met up with her and Gisella in the park early and handed her the envelope with the money in it while Gisella played fetch with Pongo. "I still don't know why you did this but I am grateful," he said softly.

_Tell me it means something__…__.more than just friendship. _

_Why don__'__t YOU tell HER you__'__d like to be more? You__'__re supposed to be the conscience right? You__'__re not listening to it right now, Hopper. _

She smiled shyly. "All that matters is that you stood up for what was right. At least today you'll have Rumple asking you the questions not that snake."

"At first but he does get to cross examine me and I'll be ready for him this time. Are you going to be there?"

"I'm going with Arista and some of the other girls…business has been kind of slow since the trial started."

"Good!"

"Archie!"

"I can't help it that I don't like that place or you working in it."

"Right now…it's stable."

"Has Gaston been around since the other night?"

"No…thank God…he's probably helping Keith Nottingham lick his wounds after Rumple basically handed him his balls on a plate. Pig! I can't believe he said those things….and getting on Rumple's bad side is NOT a good thing…him being under the curse still."

"The more he gives into his darkness, the more he loses his grip on humanity. We've seen what happened when Regina did it. She's just now trying to find her way back but it's not going to be easy."

"Rumple needs to break that dagger curse or it's going to be hard for him and Belle to be happy. I don't know all that much about it but…"

"It's like being possessed, Marie. That much I do know and since it is a possession it takes more than true love's kiss to break. Just like the second curse."

Gisella ran up to them with Pongo behind her. "Archie, wanna play fetch with me an Pongo?"

"Oh honey, I would but I have to go to court today. But I've got an important job for you while I'm gone if you can do it."

"I can do it. What do you want me to do?"

"Can you take care of Pongo for me today? You'll need to feed him, play with him and make sure he goes outside when he needs to do his business."

"I can do that!" she said excitedly. "You hear that Pongo? You're gonna spend the day with me."

"Woof!" The Dalmatian nuzzled her hand, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Archie, are you sure about this?" Marie asked him.

"If she gets her own pet this will be good practice for her to learn how to take care of it," he pointed out.

Neither of them was aware the little girl was trying to figure out a way to make Pongo her pet…and his master her new daddy.

"Mommy, please?" Gisella begged, giving her mother the puppy dog eyes as did the Dalmatian.

"Oh, all right. But you make sure you do what Archie asked you to. I don't want to come home and find surprises on my floors or you'll be cleaning them…understand?"

"Kay, Mommy!"

"I'd better get going…" Archie said softly. "You be good for Gisella, Pongo."

"Woof! Woof!"

"Gisella, if your mom gives me a good report after court today I'll cook you both dinner…anything you want…if you don't mind that is," he said to Marie.

"Oh damn! I've got a show tonight…" Marie groaned. "I was going to take Gisella to Arista's."

"Why can't Archie watch me?"

"He probably has things to do…"

"You'd be surprised how uneventful my evenings are…" _Unless I__'__m with you__…_

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all."

"Yay!" Gisella cried, jumping up and down like a rabbit.

"I'll just need to pick up a few things at my apartment and I'll be over. What time do you have to leave?"

"Five-thirty. It's Happy Hour," she said bitterly.

"See you then."

He almost smashed the front end of his Chevy in and the rear end of Snow's jeep when he pulled into the courthouse parking lot fifteen minutes before court was in session worried he wasn't going to make it on time after hitting every red light in town. That always seemed to happen to him when he was in a hurry and many people in town complained about how out of sync they were but Regina didn't consider it a priority to have them fixed.

"Cutting it close, aren't you Hopper?" Jeff teased him.

"Had an errand to run," he said shortly.

"Are you ready, Hopper?" Rumple asked him.

"Yes."

Regina patted his hand. "You still don't know how much I appreciate this….you don't have to."

"Your Majesty, I need to make them see everything as I do…like we all do. It's the only way we can change their minds."

"All right ladies and gentleman, let's go. We have a case to win," Rumple said and the group entered the courtroom, a united front. Rumple and Regina took their seats at the defense table while the others sat behind them in the gallery. Rumple rose minutes later. "…The defense calls Archibald Hopper!" he announced.

Archie was sworn back in, his eyes meeting Marie's in the back of the courtroom.

"Doctor Hopper, back in our world, you were Jiminy Cricket, the royal advisor to Snow White and Prince Charming, correct?"

"That's correct."

"Can you please tell the jury how you became involved in the break in attempt at Cora's vault?"

"Snow White sent me to Regina to reason with her in hopes she would stop the curses. We were only aware of the first one when the break in was attempted and there were discussions about a second attempt that were not followed through with."

"You're saying….you planned a second break-in but the plan was aborted? Mr. Hatter only testified to one break-in. Why did he fail to mention a second plan?"

"He was already imprisoned in Wonderland when we had that discussion."

"Whom did you have this discussion with, Doctor Hopper?"

"Regina."

"So your mission to reason with Regina to try to stop the curse was successful, correct?"

"Regina was already planning to get into the vault to take Daniel's heart back. She just needed help doing it. Jefferson and I volunteered."

"You were willing to risk your life for a woman everyone called the Evil Queen. Why?"

Archie glanced over at her, seated at the defense table. "Regina is a woman who suffered years of emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her mother, whom I suspect was envious of her," he replied sounding more like the psychologist at the moment. "She wanted to be free of Cora and the only way she felt she could do that was by taking back Daniel's heart and rescuing her father from Wonderland."

"Did she say why?"

"She didn't have to, Mr. Gold. I witnessed for myself that her mother was using the two men as leverage against her."

"What exactly did you witness, Doctor Hopper?"

"Cora summoned Daniel's heart from her vault and squeezed it. We could hear him screaming in pain. Regina only submitted AFTER this, not before. She was determined to defy her mother to the last."

"You were also attacked during this attempted break-in, were you not?"

"Yes."

"Can you describe what happened?"

"I whistled to warn the others she was coming as Regina instructed me to do but then…I felt something burning my back…and one of my wings. She summoned me to her hand, threatening to burn both of my wings while she ordered her men to use the ink on Regina and capture her and Jefferson. Then…she attempted to crush me but Regina must've had some sort of protection spell on me against that…it blasted her and she dropped me."

Marie gasped as did others in the gallery.

"Was this when she summoned Daniel's heart to force Regina to submit to her will?"

"Yes."

"Then what happened, Doctor?"

"She sent me and Jefferson into the forest and Jefferson used his hat to get to the Dark Castle for you to try to heal me."

"Were you able to have some of the damage repaired, Doctor Hopper?"

"Yes but you told me you couldn't heal all of it."

"Now that you are human again, do you have any physical evidence of this attack?"

"Yes. I have a scar on my back where I was burned."

"I know this is difficult Doctor but would you be willing to show this scar to the jury?"

"Objection! He could've gotten that scar anywhere!" Spencer protested.

"Your Honor, if need be we can submit medical records proving Doctor Hopper has had this scar the entire time he's been here with no explanation of how he has it," Rumple argued.

"Overruled. Doctor Hopper?"

The therapist blushed then stood up and removed his suit jacket. Then he turned his back to the jury and lifted his shirt to expose a long scar down his back. Horrified gasps were heard from the spectators and jurors.

"Oh…God!" Marie, gasped, her hand to her mouth. She choked back a sob and ran out of the courtroom, Arista at her heels.

"Thank you, Doctor Hopper…you may sit down."

Archie glanced out the crowd, concerned for Marie when he didn't see her but regained his composure and waited for Rumple's next question.

"Now this final attempt to break into the vault…when was the discussion to do so held?"

"One day before the curse hit. By that time we learned there had been a second one cast at Maurice Bordreaux's ball."

"You're referring to the Curse of the Broken Hearted?"

"Yes. Regina was concerned with stopping that one the most because it targeted a specific group of people. You were one of them, Snow was another, Jeff Hatter, and Regina suspected she was targeted too."

"Were you included in this curse, Doctor Hopper?"

"Regina believed I was yes, because a personal item of mine was taken to use in the spell…my old umbrella and it could only be broken by the last person targeted. It could be any one of us."

"Why didn't you carry out your plan?"

"Regina was afraid her mother would catch us and kill me. She banished me to the infinite forest."

"She was afraid…not for her own safety…but for yours. Is that what you're saying, Doctor Hopper?"

"Yes."

"I have no further questions. Your witness, Mr. Spencer."

"Doctor Hopper, during the curse, how were you treated by Mayor Mills?"

"Well…we were at odds at times."

"In fact, Doctor Hopper, she wanted you to treat her son HER way so that he didn't find out her curse, didn't she?"

"I am not discussing Henry's treatment unless Regina gives me permission to do so," Archie said stiffly.

"Mayor Mills threatened you numerous times with personal and professional ruin if you didn't follow her instructions, didn't she?!"

"Objection! He's badgering the witness!"

"She was CURSED, dammit, like we all were!" Archie shouted. _Even you, you snake__…_

"But unlike the rest of us, Doctor Hopper, she had her memories of her past."

"That doesn't mean she wasn't affected by it!" Archie looked over at Regina again. "Until she adopted Henry, Regina had no one…NO ONE who loved her…or even liked her. She may have made some wrong choices but don't we all at times, especially when we think we're going to lose the ones we love?"

Spencer glared at him and Rumple. "No further questions!" he hissed and walked away from the podium.

"You may step down, Doctor Hopper."

"Marie, hon, are you okay?" Arista asked when she found the other woman in the restroom standing in front of the sink in tears.

"Arista did you SEE that….she…she took off half his skin! Oh, Archie…" she sobbed. Arista embraced her.

"He's okay now, sweetie. Good gods, now you really should tell him how you feel because if this isn't a sure sign you're in love with him, I don't know what is."

"I can't…I can't…not now…"

_Not ever__…_

"When?" the other dancer demanded. "He's perfect for you! He treats you a goddess, cares for your daughter like she's his own, cooks…and not all men do that. What more do you want?"

"I WANT to love him…but I CAN'T!"

"You've gotta try, Marie!"

"What if he…hurts me…like…like…"

"He's NOT like Gaston! Not all men are like that prick. You can't let him ruin this for you…"

"I know…."

"C'mon….let's get you back in there…he needs you. Didn't you notice he had his eyes on you most of the time?"

"Yes…but that doesn't mean he's in love with me…"

"Blind," Arista muttered. Keeping her arm around Marie's shoulders, she escorted the distraught women out of the bathroom and ran into Archie as he was walking down the hall.

"Marie! Are you all right?"

"She'll be fine now that you're here Doc," Arista said with a smile. Marie glared at her when she was certain he wasn't looking. "I'll meet you back in the courtroom, hon."

Archie fished a Kleenex out of his pocket and handed it to Marie to dry her eyes. "I…I can't believe she did that to you."

"I'm all right….Rumple healed most of the damage but I don't regret doing it."

She smiled through her tears. "Still trying to be a hero."

As they stood there face to face, another memory flashed before his eyes. He was sitting on a tree stump in the forest while Regina sat on a rock.

_"__Jiminy, it__'__s too dangerous! Look what she did to you the last time we tried.__"_

_"__I can__'__t give up__…__WE can__'__t give up! Not now. Not when there__'__s too much at stake.__"_

_"__Is it worth dying for because that is what will happen if we__'__re caught.__"_

_"__YES!__"_

_"__I__'__m sorry Jiminy__…__I can__'__t__…__all I can do is give you your best chance.__"__ Her hands sparkled with magic. The cricket felt himself floating in the air. _

_"__Regina, don__'__t do this!__"_

_"__I have to!__"__ she cried and opened a hole in the air, sending him into it, into the Infinite Forest. _

"…Archie? Archie!?" Marie asked worriedly. He shook his head to clear it.

"I'm fine. I, ummm should be getting back and if you don't want to stay, you don't have to."

"The worst is over…"

They returned to their seats in the gallery and listened as Regina gave the rest of her testimony. Now it was Spencer's turn to cross examine her. Archie gave her an encouraging smile not that she needed it. She could hold her own against that viper.

"You claim to love your son more than your life Mayor Mills, yet why did you have him in therapy with Doctor Hopper?"

Archie rolled his eyes. How many times was Spencer going to beat that dead horse?

"Objection! Your Honor, how many times is he going to bring this up when we've already…"Rumple protested.

"No...I'll answer his question!" Regina cried.

From his seat in the crowd Archie was making frantic negating gestures as were Jeff and Emma.

She glared at Spencer. "Do you think I DON'T regret doing that to him? I do! You were right...I WAS afraid of him finding out the truth...but not for the reasons you think!"

"Sustained! Mayor Mills, you don't have to answer..."

"I have to, Your Honor."

"So tell us...WHY were you afraid he would find out the truth?"

"Because he was ALL I HAD AND WITHOUT HIM I'M NOTHING!" screamed the mayor.

She glanced out at the crowd. "Everyone saw me as the Evil Queen...even my son...I just wanted him to see me as Regina...as the person I used to be before...before I lost everything that meant the most to me...my father...Daniel...and for so many years he did...until he found the book..."

Then her eyes met Henry's. "I was so consumed by fear that I didn't realize that he always DID see me as that person...and once he learned the truth...he still loved me..."

The mayor took a deep breath before she continued. "We've ALL done things in our lives we regret and lost our way but what pulls us back is having someone there who is willing to FORGIVE us for our mistakes and LOVE us still!"

He couldn't have been more proud of her than he was at that moment. Spencer returned to his seat in a rage. Both attorneys gave their closing arguments and now it was time to wait for a verdict. Marie cornered Archie in the hall and told him she had to get ready for her show but to send her a message once the verdict came in and he joined the others in the conference room while they waited for a verdict.

"I won't let anything happen to you...I give you my word." Rumple promised Regina.

"But if they decide..."

"Dearie, if you can't play by the rules and win... you have to get your hands a little dirty and I'm not afraid to do that. They want to try to take you away from your son; they'll have to face ME first."

"And they'll be running scared," chuckled Jeff.

"That I'd like to see, especially Spencer after what he tried to pull with me about trying to get me to break my confidentiality oath," Archie said angrily.

"I'm afraid you've made an enemy of him Archie," Regina said sadly.

"Oh I doubt I'll ever face him in a courtroom again and if I do he's not going to blindside me."

The group returned to the courtroom and took their seats. Henry sat at the defense table beside his mother, his hand holding hers. Rumple held her other hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, have you reached a verdict?"

"We have," Granny declared, standing up. She had been designated as foreperson.

"Regina Mills, will you please rise?"

Rumple and Regina rose from their seats.

"Will you please read the verdict?"

"We the jury find the defendant Regina Mills...NOT GUILTY!"

Thunderous applause erupted in the courtroom. Regina burst into tears and threw her arms around her son first then Rumple.

Spencer threw his pen down. "What the hell! The vote was FIXED! FIXED!"

"Suck it up, YOU LOST!" shouted Emma, glaring at him.

"You won't get away with this, any of you!" threatened the DA. "TAKE HER!" he yelled.

The doors to the courtroom burst open and a group of people stormed in carrying torches and pitchforks.

"I guess some people don't learn their lessons," Rumple said with a sigh and waved his hand. The group was suspended from the ceiling by their shoelaces.

"Now unless you want to JOIN them Albert, I suggest you get the hell out of here!" Rumple snarled.

He approached the opposing attorney, sparks emitting from his fingertips. "What's it going to be? Shall I make you a new ceiling decoration or are you going to find the brains you were born with and GET OUT OF HERE?"

The other man's face paled and he turned and fled the courtroom.

Emma was howling with laughter. "Oh my god, Gold...that was hysterical!"

"No...it was awesome!" Henry exclaimed.

"Gets funnier every time I see it," said Jeff, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Where was this?" Belle asked as she approached them.

"Umm...when Rumple and I went to some village for a deal. The guy had the balls to say Rumple was a cheat...and he DOESN'T like being called a cheat."

"That's usually what I did to cheats...but there was that exception when I did turn a man into a pig..."

Just then Bae walked into the courtroom. He'd been at school while the trial was being held, but school had let out and he had come straight from there, and hear the verdict as he walked into the courthouse.

He gazed up at the ceiling where all the people were hanging, some looking nauseous. "Whoa! It's a new trend-people fans!" he cried and looked at Rumple and started laughing. He knew of course, who had done that. "Good one, Papa!"

"It's a 'Stiltskin classic, Bae," Jeff informed him.

"Oh gods...I hope no one else is stupid enough to warrant that being done to them," Archie said.

Bae smirked. "There's always someone dumber than dirt, Archie. Trust me."

"Rumple...how will they get down? Not that I think they need to...yet...but…" Belle trailed off.

"The spell doesn't last forever, dearie. Eventually they'll fall down . . .and I'll make sure they land right on the part they think with," the attorney grinned wickedly.

"Oh you are terrible...but I love you..." she giggled.

Bae put his face in his hand. "Oh my God . . .please no PDA's . . .!"

"Yeah...go get a room...we meanwhile have some celebrating to do! Whatddya say we all have a party at my place?" Jeff suggested.

"Are you buying, Hatter?" asked Leroy.

"Not for you, Grump Ass!"

"I would Jeff, but...I...promised a friend I'd stop over after..." Archie said nervously.

Regina gave him a conspiratorial look.

"And we can only stay a bit...we have some other plans..." Belle murmured as she gazed lovingly at Rumple.

Rumple drew Belle into his arms and kissed her soundly. "A kiss of triumph!" he declared.

"Aww man, my eyes!" Jeff moaned.

"Oh shut up and come here, Hatter!" Emma said and planted one on him.

"I need to get me some of that!" David declared.

"Then come and get it..." Snow challenged, her eyebrow arched seductively.

He walked over to her. "Your prince has come . . ." he said and then he kissed her.

"Oh would you ALL get a room!" Regina chuckled.

"Yeah, my virgin eyes, Papa!" Bae cried. He covered Henry's saying, "Don't look, you ain't old enough."

"I don't wanna...gross!"

"You won't be saying that once you meet a girl, Henry," Belle said softly.

"He's not dating til he's forty!" Regina cried.

Rumple burst out laughing.

"Moom! I'm not a girl!" Henry protested.

"If you were, you'd be sixty!"

"Em, I'm ready to party...how late's the liquor store open?"

"I'm not picking your drunk ass off the floor, Hatter!"

"Yeah, Dad. You wanna end up in jail?" Henry put in impudently. "TWI-Teleporting While Intoxicated."

"If your mom comes in with me..." he answered with a smirk.

"Dream on, Hatter, you're not getting me in a cell with you while you're wasted."

"Yeah cause all you'd do is puke on her," Bae laughed. "S'what every drunk guy I've ever seen does."

"Aww come on...it'll be fun...just like the time we decided to go 'splorin the woods while drunk...right Archie?"

"What? I have never been drunk in my life!" Archie protested.

"I slipped you some in your tea."

"WHAT?! You idiot! No wonder I couldn't fly straight that night and almost bashed my brains in!"

He wanted to murder a certain portal jumper.

Bae started cracking up. "Ohh boy, it's Once Upon a Time Confessions! I should record this!"

"It was funny seeing you doing little loops and circles..."

"You know what would really be funny, Hatter...my umbrella up your ass!" Archie snarled, then counted to ten to calm himself.

Regina brushed tears from her eyes. "Guess I'm going to have to watch you carefully Hatter. You'd spike my apple cider."

"Hmmmm...I wonder what kind of drunk you'd make Rumple..." mused Belle.

He winked roguishly at her. "You might not want to find out".

"Oh...does that mean you'd whisk me off to bed like Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind...?"

"TMI!" shouted Emma and Regina.

"Maybe, dearie," he drawled.

"I'm gonna drop dead of embarrassment!" Bae moaned.

"Jeff, we would love to go to your party but...we have other plans..." Belle said softly.

"Ahhh...go on...we'll have our own...right Em?"

"I'm still not picking you up off the floor."

"We'll hire a crane," Henry giggled.

"I'll go," Regina said. "But no spiking my cider Hatter."

"I'll see you all soon," Archie said and started to walk away.

"Hey Hopper, when the hell are we gonna meet this 'friend' of yours and does she have a sister?"

_She does but she's spoken for. Sorry Hatter._

Emma smacked her boyfriend. "Just for THAT Hatter you've got the couch tonight!"

"Hatter leave it alone," Regina said firmly.

"Your Majesty, if you need to come by the office tomorrow…?"

"Call me Regina, Archie. I'm not the queen anymore." She pulled him aside. "You're making some progress I see. She was quite upset when she saw your scar."

"We're still just friends for now."

"You're not going to give up, are you?"

"I can't. I'll talk to you soon."

When he got back to Marie's apartment Gisella was sitting on the sofa with Pongo on her lap while she watched Despicable Me. Julie was reading one of her textbooks and highlighting passages with a marker, jotting down notes on an index card. "You can go home now, Julie. I can take it from here."

"Okay Doctor Hopper. Thanks…Night, Sella!"

"Night, Julie." the little girl said.

"What are you watching?" Archie asked, sitting down beside her.

"'Spicable Me. It's really funny. It's about this guy who tries to steal the moon but he can't cause he adopted these girls and now he hasta be a daddy to them. He didn't wanna be but then he does. Do you wanna be a daddy someday, Archie?" she asked hopefully.

_I feel like I already am__…__._

"Yes," he said softly. "Yes I would."

She beamed. "You'd be a good one, not like my bad daddy. I wanna replace him."

"How do you plan on doing that, honey?"

"I just am," she said evasively.

When the movie was over he got up and turned the TV off. "How about you help me cook dinner?"

"Can I?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes." He took her hand and they went into the kitchen. "Now I have a few rules. I don't want you touching any of the knives or the stove. Okay? You can get hurt."

"Kay. Mommy doesn't let me come in here at all 'less it's to eat, get a drink or help wash dishes. What're you makin?"

"I don't know. I was thinking maybe hamburgers and fries."

"Ooh I like hamburgers."

"I make my own…and the fries too."

"How do you do that?"

He smiled. "That's what I'm going to show you." He grabbed a large mixing bowl out of the cupboard and set it down on the counter along with his spices, a package of ground beef, parmesan cheese, a carton of eggs and some onions and green peppers he'd already chopped up the day before planning on using them in something else. "Now go wash your hands because they're going to get a little messy when we start mixing all this up."

"Okay."

He opened the package of ground beef and dumped it into the bowl and cracked three eggs. Gisella frowned. "Why're you putting eggs in hamburgers? That's kinda gross!"

"No…the egg makes it easier to mix everything together. Now we need to put the spices in." He picked up each bottle and explained what it was. "When I ask for one, you can put it in. I'll tell you how much."

"Okay."

"Garlic salt….onion salt…parmesan….salt…pepper…roast beef packets!" he called out. Gisella picked up each one and shook the contents into the bowl. "Okay…now hand me that bowl of onions and peppers."

"What do we do now?"

"We mix it up….like this…" he explained and demonstrated. Then he dumped a small pile of beef into a bowl for her to mix too.

"Oooh this is cold…an gross!"

He chuckled. "It is but you're going to like it. Now you have to pick it up and make it into a patty…like this." He formed a perfect burger patty in his hand and helped Gisella shape hers from the small pile of meat she had in her bowl. They placed them on a plate and washed their hands again then he started making fries out of potatoes and put them in the oven while he fried the hamburgers in a skillet.

Smelling food, Pongo trotted into the kitchen and started begging. "Now Pongo, you know you can't have any of this. Sella, can you get him one of his treats out of that other bag on the chair?" Archie asked her. She pulled out a bag of Beggin Strips and held it out for the Dalmatian.

_I wish she were my daughter, _he thought wistfully as he sat across from her while they ate their dinner. He still couldn't believe a ruthless bastard like Gaston could have fathered such a sweet little girl then treat her like she didn't exist. He didn't deserve her or her mother.

"Can I help wash dishes?" she asked.

"I'll wash…you dry. How's that sound?"

"That's what I do for Mommy."

After all the dishes were put away they went back into the living room. Gisella wanted to watch Sleeping Beauty and was only halfway through the movie when she dozed off. He went into her bedroom and brought out one of her throw covers and draped it over her. It wasn't long before he fell asleep too.

Marie returned from the club around nine, exhausted and her feet aching, the sight that met her eyes in her living room nearly bringing her to tears. Archie and Gisella were both asleep on the sofa. Archie had fallen asleep sitting up while Gisella slumbered beside him wrapped in her favorite blanket. She didn't want to wake him but knew she had to so that he could go home.

_You could let him stay the night. _

_No! We__'__re not married__…__nor are we lovers and if Gaston caught him__…__!_

She wouldn't let him get hurt over her…she wasn't worth it.

_Has it ever occurred to you HE might think otherwise? Arista__'__s right. He__'__s in love with you, you__'__re in love with him but neither one of you is confident enough to actually come out and say it. _

"Hey," she whispered and lightly shook his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and met hers.

"Hmmm…Marie? What time is it?"

"A little after nine."

"Oh! I'm sorry…I dozed off!"

"Shhh…so did Sella."

She pointed to where her daughter lay beside him. He smiled.

"I'd better put her to bed." Marie said.

"No, I'll do it. You look tired."

"I always put her to bed."

"I'll just bring her in for you…" he offered.

He carefully picked the sleeping little girl up and carried her into her room. Marie went in ahead of him and pulled back the covers. Gisella stirred for a second or two when Archie placed her on her bed and Marie pulled the blankets over her.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Marie whispered and kissed her daughter's cheek. As she was walking out of the room she saw Archie kiss Gisella's forehead.

"Goodnight, Princess," she heard him say.

_Don__'__t do this to me, Archie__…__don__'__t give more reasons to love you than I already have__…_

She fled the room and took refuge in the living room, soaking her sore feet in a basin.

"I still wish you would quit that job," he said to her, frowning.

"I've tried the having two jobs thing and applying elsewhere. Doesn't work out Archie. Too many people know who I am. I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"You don't make it easy for me not to." He sat down beside her. "You should be in bed."

"I'll go…after I soak these a bit."

"Do I have to put you there?"

"No!"

_Oh gods...Archie if you do that__…__.I WILL want you to stay the night__…__and it__'__s TOO SOON for that! _

"Marie, I wasn't suggesting…that!" He blushed.

"I know you weren't but I'm not some china doll either!"

"I didn't mean to imply that you were."

"I will go lie down Archie but I just need to soak a bit."

He sighed and stood up. "And I should be getting home. I have a full schedule tomorrow and I promised Geppetto I would meet him for dinner at Granny's. Pongo….time to go home."

"Woooooffff," the dog groaned while Archie kneeled down to hook him onto his leash.

"I know, I know you hate it when I wake you up when you're having a nice sleep but we have to go."

_I want to stay too boy, but we can__'__t. It__'__s not proper. _

"Good night Archie…and thank you for taking care of Sella for me."

"It was a pleasure. I'll see you soon."

Archie, unlike most therapists sometimes did have appointments on the weekend. The first was Becky's family session. The cousin refused to attend the session. The parents and her brothers however were stunned when Becky, with Archie's help was finally able to tell them how she was feeling.

"Mr. and Mrs. Halloway….Becky's been through a difficult time and needs as much of your attention as the rest of your children and from what she's been telling me this niece of Ken's is the source of a lot of your family's problems. Kristine is old enough to be out on her own yet she's become dependent on both of you, too dependent and demands too much of your time…time you should be spending with Becky. Your daughter is reaching out to you….you need to listen to her."

_Now why didn__'__t someone give ME this kind of advice when I was living with MY parents? More importantly, why didn__'__t I just pack up and leave once I was an adult instead of believing them when they told me I couldn__'__t get along without them and using damned magic as a solution that backfired in my face quite nicely? _

His own past taught him many lessons that he now used to help others. He didn't enjoy being cursed but the curse did provide him with the opportunity to help others as he did when he was cricket but in this land he had a better chance of succeeding with some of the more difficult cases. The session with Becky's parents seemed to go well and they did agree they would be more attentive to their daughter. He hoped they kept that promise.

His appointment with Ursula Gordon made him want to climb the walls. Now that she had her memories back she was ranting about Ariel and Eric and how she'd almost had the man of her dreams until the mermaid broke the charm that stored her voice in and woke Eric from his trance. The former octopus was also making a habit of coming to her appointments dressed a bit too provocatively for his taste and asked him why he wouldn't go out with her when he went out with her sister Morgana.

That was a date he preferred to forget and he didn't even consider it one. She'd asked him to lunch on the pretext of inquiring about her sister's health but the low cut dress, uncomfortable questions and trying to put her hand where it wasn't wanted wised him up quickly. He ran out of the diner like his feet were on fire and spent half an hour in the shower feeling like he couldn't get the filth off his skin. That was the last time he'd been out with a woman. It astounded him how some of the so called 'good women' of the town looked down on Marie yet he'd seen quite a few of them acting like tarts in public and no one said a thing. Merriweather Blue was the worst hypocrite of them all…putting on the act of being a good woman when she was working in the club with Marie and probably doing more than just dancing.

Regina was his last appointment for the day. She'd just dropped Bae off at his father's house.

"I still can't believe I'm free," she murmured.

"You've made mistakes Regina but the important thing is that you're remorseful. This would not be the case with your mother. Not everyone will trust you, you understand but your actions will demonstrate that you're worthy of it."

"I'm sorry I was so cruel to you Archie."

"And I've forgiven you for it but you still have a lot of issues you need to sort through."

"I went to see Graham this morning. I know…it's silly, talking to him when he can't hear me but….I wish he could."

"I think he does….in the afterlife."

"He was a good man, Archie."

"That he was."

"I was so….obsessed with vengeance that I wasn't thinking straight and sometimes I feel like I don't deserve this second chance you've all given me."

"We think otherwise but you need to prove it to yourself too…and you can with what you do from here on out. Be a good mother to Henry, care for the people in this town, make amends…that's what means the most."

She smiled. "And how are things progressing with you?"

"We're not here to talk about me," he reminded her.

"We used to do that a lot…back in the forest…since we both had issues with our parents….among other things. And Archie, I won't feel better until I see everyone whose lives I helped ruin are finally happy, that includes you."

_Mother made the curse worse for you by keeping you away from Marie and making her life difficult so that once you were reunited, she would be as reluctant to love you as she was before__…__but your heart never forgot. _

_"__Jiminy, it__'__s too dangerous! Look what she did to you the last time we tried.__"_

_"__I can__'__t give up__…__WE can__'__t give up! Not now. Not when there__'__s too much at stake. Regina, please__…__I love her__…__I can__'__t bear the thought of living a life without her!__"_

_"__Is she worth dying for because that is what will happen if we__'__re caught.__"_

_"__YES!__"_

_"__I__'__m sorry Jiminy__…__I can__'__t__…__all I can do is give you your best chance.__"__ Her hands sparkled with magic. The cricket felt himself floating in the air. _

_"__Regina, don__'__t do this!__"_

_"__I have to! You__'__ll find her again, Jiminy, I promise you will.__"_

"I'm just taking it slow. Now, have you and Emma worked out an arrangement for Henry?"

"Yes. I keep him during the week; he stays with her and Jeff on the weekends. During the summer we'll each take him on a vacation."

"That's good, that way you both will have equal time with him. The three of you getting along will help."

Regina reached into her purse and pulled out an old book. "This was in my attic….it got transported over with me. She stood up and crossed over to the fireplace and threw it into the flames. "Now no one will EVER be able to cast either curse again!" She held up her arm, a bracelet around her wrist. "Rumple gave me this today. It will bind my magic and if I try to take it off it will extract a price from me."

"You're taking some big steps in the right direction, Regina. I'm proud of you."

"I've seen the misery dark magic brings and I want no part of it anymore."

She asked him to go back to her house with him and in the backyard she and Henry had a bonfire with all the dark magical items that had been transported with her from the curse. Afterwards they sat in front of the fire and talked some more. He stayed with them until it was time for him to go home and get ready for dinner at Granny's with Geppetto.

The older man talked a bit about his son, they were slowly working their issues out. August wanted to be a writer now instead of working in the shop, something Geppetto was disappointed about.

"If it's what he wants to do, don't pressure him into doing something else. I should know…spent half my life doing it," Archie said bitterly. He found out not long after he became a cricket that his parents tried to run a con on the duke of a nearby town and were executed.

"I know Archie, it's just….back then we always worked together and now…he wants to do things on his own…"

"Because he's an adult now but that doesn't mean he's stopped loving you. And it will help smooth things along if you encourage him with his writing….read what he writes and maybe suggest he publish it."

"He was always a bright boy."

"Hey Belle...why you wasting time in on that old geezer," Keith slurred as he approached Belle and Rumple's table and belched.

"Not again!" Archie groaned.

Gold eyed the inebriated man icily. "Go sleep it off in the gutter and quit bothering people."

"Can you even get it up, Gold? I can," he laughed and made a rather obscene gesture.

"Animal!" Archie reached under the table for his umbrella. "Someone needs to teach that idiot some manners."

"Not if I hit it with my cane you won't!" Rumple hissed.

"Disgusting!" Snow snarled from where she was sitting with David.

"You'll fall on your ass first...gimp!"

"Shall we find out?" Rumple snarled, and he started to get to his feet.

"Rumple...ignore him," Belle pleaded.

"I can't. He's made me lose my appetite . . .along with other people's," he gritted out. "You have three seconds to get your carcass out of here, Nottingham . . .before I turn you into a possum and run you over with my car." His eyes turned steely. "One . . ."

"I'd start running if I were you," Geppetto advised.

"Two . . .tick, tock, dearie . . .I get to three and you're roadkill!" The look on Gold's face promised serious mayhem.

"You don't have the balls..."

"The idiot bus is missing a passenger," grumbled David.

Rumple twitched his fingers. "Three . . ." and between one blink and the next a fat gray possum crouched on the diner floor. He shook his keys at it. "Shall I get my car?"

It scurried off. Archie breathed a sigh of relief and the couple was able to continue thier date.

"You know...you have the most amazing eyes...like molten chocolate that I could just...drrrrowwwnnn in..." he heard Belle drawling some time later and looked over to see that she could barely sit up in the booth they were occupuying.

She leaned in closer. "And...those lips...I could kiss them all day..."

"And...soon...verryyyy soon I want to get you in a pair of leather pants...then take them off..."

"Get a room," David coughed.

"How many did she have?" Archie was asking Geppetto.

"Three."

"Three? I'm done after one!" he exclaimed, remembering nearly killing himself in the Enchanted Forest after Jeff spiked his tea, forgetting that as a cricket, a regular sized teacup was like a barrel to him.

Snow was laughing. "She's going to have a doozy of a hangover tomorrow."

"Belle, sweetheart..."

"But you look so good in leather..." she cooed.

"Darling," Rumple began, reaching over to hand her napkin . . and spilling the rest of her wine on her in the process. "Damn! Now I've gotten you all wet. I'm sorry," he began, cursing himself for a clumsy idiot.

"If you wanted me out of my clothes...you could've just said so..."

Rumple blushed, turning the color of a fire engine. "Uh . . .why don't you go clean up a bit in the ladies room? I'll just settle the bill and meet you by the car okay?"

"Oh...okay...maybe we can...continue this...at home?"

"I've never seen Belle act like that before," Geppetto said once they left the diner.

"Neither have I but Rumple wouldn't dare take advantage of her when she's in such a state. I can't say the same for some other men in this town!" Archie muttered.

_Like a raping bastard named Gaston Devereaux and his pervert crony Keith Nottingham. _

A terrified scream echoed through the walls of the diner. Snow, Archie, David, Granny and Geppetto ran outside to see Belle hiding behind a furious Rumple while he was beating Nottingham with his cane.

"You . . .miserable . . .rutting . . .scumbag . . .bastard!" Rumple snarled, bringing his cane down again across the other man's back and thighs, beating him furiously. "I . . .should have turned you into a snail . . and stepped on you!"

"Belle, are you all right?" Snow asked, throwing her arms around her.

"He...he tried to..." she gasped.

_Bastard! _Archie seethed and as much as he felt Nottingham deserved to be beaten within an inch of his life…and so did Devereaux, it would only drag Rumple deeper into darkness, darkness he was fighting against for her...his son…and himself.

"Emma's on her way hon," David said.

"Rumple...you have to stop..." Belle pleaded through her tears.

"You .. . piece of . . .shit!" Rumple growled hoarsely. "I . . should . . have . . .run you over . . .! How dare you hurt MY girlfriend . . ." He brought his cane down again, giving the drunken idiot a very well deserved thrashing. "He . . .deserves it . . .!" The pawnbroker panted. "No . . .man . . .should .. .ever hurt a woman like that . . .!"

"Rumple...PLEASE... you'll wake IT up!"

Rumple could feel the Dark One stir within him . . .and his eyes glinted a feral yellow . . . "You should have learned, Nottingham . . .you don't . . .screw with the Dark One!"

"Rumplestiltskin...pull it back...you're not him!" Archie coached.

"Please," Belle pleaded, her eyes meeting Rumple's.

"Because now I'm gonna shove my cane up your ass, dearie! And watch you choke on it!" he giggled softly.

"No!" Belle broke free of Snow's grasp and grabbed the cane.

"Belle! What are you doing? He deserves to die!"

"If you kill him, you'll let the darkness win! You can't!"

"Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything," Archie added.

"That's not who you are," Belle insisted. Put him back to sleep..." she begged.

"He . . .ought to . . .be punished for what he's done to you."

"And he will be," Emma said as Jeff grabbed Keith's arms and put them behind his back.

"Keith Nottingham, you're under arrest."

The pair read the would be rapist his rights as they led him away.

Belle ran into Rumple's arms and held him tightly.

"Are you all right?" Archie asked worriedly.

"I'm okay . . .are you okay, Belle?" he asked, back to normal once more.

"Yes...I think so."

"If you need to talk...my door's open." Archie offered.

"We'll be fine Doctor Hopper...and thank you," Belle said.

"Dearie, let's get you home," Rumple said, stroking Belle's hair. "Yes, thank you . . .for recalling me to myself again, Hopper."

He smiled. "It was the least I could do."

"That was close…" Geppetto whispered. "He's trying to fight it off, isn't he?"

"Yes….and Belle and Bae keep him anchored to his humanity. If he loses it, he will become worse than Cora…"

"We can't have that. Are you going to see Marie tonight?"

"It's late and Gisella is probably in bed. I don't want to wake her. Geppetto...I've been thinking more about settling down since I met Marie and Gisella...and Gissella wants a father but I wish it were me."

"Has it ever occurred to you she may want that too?"

"Maybe but I don't want Marie to think I only come around because of Gisella. I love her, Geppetto but every time I think I'm ready to say it I lose my nerve. And you know I've _never _felt this way before and even if I do manage to get past that part...to the point where we could be married..."

His friends always felt comfortable telling him their deepest secrets but there was one he kept to himself because of how impossible it would be to believe in this land and age...all he would say was that he was against having relations with a woman until he was married to her. Everyone assumed he became that way after he became a cricket not that it was a moral principal he belived in his whole life because of what he'd been. His parents laughed at him, calling him a romantic fool and told him that he wasn't the kind of man women wanted to marry. They wanted men with money, brawn and good looks, nothing he would ever have if he didn't get put his head out of the clouds or the books. Every time he thought he could break away, their words haunted him and so he stayed.

When he was on his way to his office the following morning, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"D…Doctor Hopper….it's Pat….Pat Allen," he heard the older woman weeping on the other line. She often came by to talk to him while he was having dinner at Granny's or Ratatouille and they were friendly competitors in the summer festival's cookoff though he reigned as champion with his Hopper's Hotter Than Hell Chili.

"Pat? What's wrong?"

"It's my Barbara…."

"What happened to her…is she hurt?"

"Th…That…animal…he…he RAPED HER! My sweet grandchild…"

"Who raped her?" Archie growled.

"Th…that Nottingham bastard."

"Pat, where are you now?"

"At the hospital….Mr. Gold took her to the hospital. He's going to help us put that animal away."

"I'll be there in a bit."

"Thanks so much honey."

"Disgusting pigs!" he raged, pounding on the steering wheel with his fists while he waited at a stoplight. "What in the HELL gives them the right to rape a woman?! When she says NO she means NO you sons of a bitches! They all need to be strung up by the part they think with instead of their goddam brains starting with Gaston Devereaux and that bastard Nottingham can join him! And how the HELL did he get out of jail!?"

When he got to the hospital, Pat was in the waiting room with Rumple and the two of them were talking in thick village accents that would have sounded Scottish or Irish to anyone from this land…or something straight out of Highlander.

"How is wanting to be untouched by anyone other than who you're wedded to a crime?" demanded Pat angrily.

"It isn't..." Archie murmured

Mrs. Allen brushed a tear from her eye. "Oh...laddie...I'm sorry. I dinna remember I called ye..."

"You've been in good hands already Pat," he said.

Pat smiled at Rumple. "Aye I have..."

She help up Rumple's hand and kissed it.

"Ye'll stay won't you, Rumple...ye don't mind if I call ye that, do ye lad?"

"No, please do. And yes, I'll stay. There's a few things I must discuss with Barbara for the case, ye ken."

"Aye."

"For a moment I thought I was watching Highlander," said Archie.

Rumple smirked. "Except ye'd not catch me swinging a claymore, dearie."

"No but the accent...kind of hard to follow there…"

"Just pay attention, lad, and ye'll comprehend it," Rumple snickered. "And I've lost much of mine, dearie. 'Tis only occasionally I slip back into the way I used to talk."

"And I seem t'remember a few times you talking like a gypsy and cursing like one when you've been upset, lad," Pat reminded Archie

He frowned. "Well you didn't want to hear what I was saying to myself in the car on the way over here...not fit for a lady's ears."

"Oh, I can imagine," Rumple said sourly.

"I have...another patient I need to see then I'll stop back, okay, Pat."

"Go on...that poor laddie needs ya too."

Mikey was making progress, there hadn't been any more suicide attempts but he still blamed himself for not being there when his brother was killed. It was going to take a long time for the boy to understand it wasn't his fault and the only thing that would have happened is that he would've died too.

"You have a chance to make a good life for yourself if you try, Mikey," Archie advised. "He wouldn't want you to give up on yourself. Didn't you tell me he was always trying to give your confidence a boost?"

"Yeah. S'why he had me go with Fire on the Gold job because he thought with Bae teaching me I coulda done it but I miss him Doc!"

"The best way to honor his memory is to be the kind of person he wanted you to be," Archie reiterated. "Is there anything you did besides….break into places and pick pockets…?"

"I usta play all the music when we got together with the Knights. Everyone said I shoulda been a DJ."

Archie smiled. "There you go. There's always something going on in town where we'll need one…parties, weddings….I'm sure if you talked to Sebastian he'd be able to show you the ropes."

"That crab? He's the music teacher at school."

"During the school year but on the weekends and in the summer he's a DJ…and could probably use some help and though he was a lobster back in our world, he's not as bad as you think."

"I'll think about it Doc."

"You do that."

Barbara was having her dinner when he found her room. He was expecting her to be uneasy around him after what happened, Marie still was to a point and he was hoping that would change in time.

"Barbara….I know this is going to be…difficult but I'm here if you need to talk…or I can recommend a female therapist if you prefer."

"No…I'd rather talk to you….but now…I just wanna make him pay for what he did to me!" the young woman cried. "How many other women has he raped that haven't told? I gotta stand up for them Doctor Hopper and show other pigs like he can't get away with this…and he woulda stayed in jail had someone not beat up Deputy Pendragon and let him out…"

_One of them already has__…__and because it didn__'__t happen in THIS world, no one will do anything about it. _

"I'm very proud of you, Barbara. You walking into that courtroom and telling them what he did is going to show him he has no power over you now and that's the important thing. That's what the crime of rape is about…power over the victim. Unfortunately, not all women want to speak up because they're ashamed or frightened and their attackers enjoy that…think it gives them power over their victims long after the fact." He sighed. "And this land…and the things people consider 'normal' behavior…can also give people the desire to commit rape…."

After Marie's confession, he spent a great deal of time reading all the literature he could find on rape in this land and even spoke to several rape counselors in Boston, explaining that he'd never encountered the issue with a patient in his town before and needed to be sure he would be handling it properly.

"Well, the bastard won't be rapin' anyone else once Rumple gets through with 'im," grumbled Pat.

After word of Barbara's attack got out, other women came forward to talk about their own encounters with the former sheriff including an internet sexual predator watchdog and there was also a young girl who recalled a disturbing incident where he exposed himself to her and threatened her if she talked.

They learned that Spencer planned to call another psychologist to the stand to debunk Rumple's theory that Nottingham's interest in bondage and sado-masochism helped fuel his violent impulses and once they learned the doctor's name, Archie called one of his contacts in Boston to find out more about this Doctor Corlis.

"The defense attorney in this case sounds like a moron," said Doctor Lisa Abberline. "Doesn't he check his experts out before he contacts them or is one of those porn websites what he calls research?"

"You're saying Doctor Corlis also has an interest in that?"

"I wouldn't doubt it….but he also has a criminal record. Before he became a so called 'expert' he was arrested by the Boston police for corrupting a minor…exposing him to pornographic material while he was supposedly 'tutoring' him in Algebra and once THAT got out, his practice collapsed. You get your prosecutor to subpoena his arrest record from the Boston PD and you can impeach his testimony."

"I'll let him know right away. Thank you Doctor Abberline."

"It was my pleasure Doctor Hopper. I'll talk to you again soon."

Marie and several women from the Foxtrot convinced Sly to give them the day off so that they could attend the trial. Marie admired young Barbara Allen's bravery, wishing she could find the courage to talk about what Gaston had done to her, what he was still doing to her and when she learned Belle was almost raped she was horrified.

"Thankfully Rumple held him off with his cane…but he was so close to losing it until I pulled him back…with a lot of help from Doctor Hopper."

Marie smiled. "He sounds like a nice man," she said. How difficult it was to behave as if they didn't know each other but she knew she had to…didn't want to ruin his reputation.

"He is."

"At least when you geut up there and tell what happened you'll have Rumple there."

Both women were comforted by that thought. Marie sat in the back of the courtroom with Arista, admiring young Barbara Allen who was not much older than she was when she was raped, recalling the events of that night and staring down her attacker like a warrior, showing him no fear and taking back the power he believed he had over her.

_But she hasn__'__t a gun pushed into her face__…__or her daughter__'__s life threatened__…__._

"….The prosecution calls Belle French!"

Belle rose from her seat behind the prosecution table and walked up to the witness stand.

"Miss French, have you had any altercations with Keith Nottingham?"

"Yes sir, two." she answered.

"Can you describe them for the jury, please?"

"Both occurred at Granny's diner while you and I were on dates. We weren't bothering anyone but he came up to our table and started making rude comments about us but you frightened him off. Then…after I went outside to wait for you the second time he grabbed me…."

"I know this is difficult Miss French but what did he do?"

"He…ahhh….grabbed my breast and….pulled my hand toward his waist…and shoved me up against the building when I refused him…"

Archie glanced back at Marie. She was pale. As much as he wanted to go to her, he knew he couldn't now. Her friend Arista put a comforting arm around her shoulders. He wanted to thank the former mermaid for doing what he couldn't at the moment.

"…Then I screamed for you and you came out and attacked him until he let me go," Belle finished. She didn't tell them how close her fiancé came into giving into his darkness and reawakening the demon. The true demon that night was sitting at the defense table.

"Thank you Miss French…your witness," Rumple said to Spencer. The other attorney was grinning like the cat that ate the canary as he faced Belle and attempted to impeach her testimony by claiming she was too drunk to remember what happened and even provoked it.

_You scum! _Marie thought angrily. _She didn__'__t provoke what happened to her any more than I did! _

She started shaking as the memory of her own violation came rushing back.

"A…Arista….get…me…out of here…." she gasped feeling another anxiety attack coming on. Her friend helped her stand up and led her out of the courthouse. She sat Marie down on a bench and raced inside. Arista spotted Archie alone in the hall and grabbed his arm.

"You need to come with me…now!" she cried urgently.

He didn't need to ask why. They ran out of the courthouse to where Marie was sitting trying to stave off an anxiety attack.

"I was afraid of this…Marie….Marie, it's all right…" he said softly.

"Archie?"

He turned her around so that they were face to face on the bench and held her hands in his while he coached her until she was calmed down and her breathing returned to normal.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "You…you shouldn't have to deal with this…"

"What kind of friend would I be if I left you to handle it alone?" he asked.

"I don't know…but…."

"No buts. I'll be here…whenever you need me…"

He wanted to hold her close and tell her he wanted to be more than a friend but it didn't seem like the right time. Still, she didn't pull away when he held her hands. It was a start.

Part of her wished they could be more but it was too dangerous. Somehow Gaston would find out and hurt him….like he did Jonas and Pierre. There had been a few other men in her life but all of them took off after sleeping with her once…and telling her she was a lousy lay when she could find no pleasure in the act at all. No matter who it was with, it never felt right. She doubted it ever would.

"Marie, do you want me to take you home?" Arista asked.

"No…I want to see the rest of this…."

"You gonna stick around, Doc?" Arista asked him.

"Yes. I want to see the look on Spencer's face when Rumple smashes his expert's credibility to bits." Archie answered with a smirk.

The two women laughed. "Remind me never to piss you off, Doc!" Arista exclaimed.

"Well he has it coming for what he did to Archie at Regina's trial!" Marie flared and stood up. "I'll see you in there, Archie."

Young Christiana Minou was on the stand being cross examined by Spencer when they returned.

"Do you want to be held in contempt, Mr. Spencer?" Thomas snapped. "I will NOT have this trial be turned into a three ring circus! Proceed!"

"I'm not making this up!" Christa insisted. "If I was how would I know how small the thing was?"

Marie gasped.

Archie lowered his head and chuckled. Shocking as her outburst was, it was also proof she'd been exposed to by that pig.

"She's got THAT right!" hooted Jeannie, one of the other dancers who was sitting beside Arista.

"Can't even screw a hole in a doughnut with one that small!" Arista shouted.

Marie covered her mouth with her hands to muffle her laughter. "Arista!"

"Jeannie's seen it…it IS that small!" Arista whispered.

"Oh God…"

"N...no further questions," Spencer growled.

"The jury will disregard the witness's last statement and there will be no more outbursts or I will clear this courtroom!" Thomas shouted, pounding his gavel.

"I think your doc just turned three shades of red up there," Arista whispered. "Kinda cute...Wonder what _he_ looks like na…"

"Knock it off!" Marie cried, blushing herself at what her friend was insinuating. "I'm trying to listen to this!"

The online watchdog group founder was testifying to what she'd seen Keith post on various groups and websites about his exploits and it was enough to turn Marie's stomach. Now it was Spencer's turn to present his case.

"The defense calls Doctor Jeffrey Corlis."

Archie leaned back in his seat, barely listening to the verbal garbage the man was spewing about how Keith Nottingham couldn't have been driven to commit violent acts based on his lifestyle and interests. He grabbed his notepad out of his pocket and scribbled a message to Rumple.

_I got MY degree from a damned curse but I still know more than this idiot...after nine years of school..._

He was smirking as he folded the note up and passed it up to Bae through Snow, Regina and Jefferson. Rumple received it a few minutes later, looked it over and stood up to begin his attack.

"Doctor, is it true that before you were known as an expert in this field, you were convicted of corrupting sixteen-year-old Matthew Turner, whom you were supposedly tutoring in algebra?"

"That was a misunderstanding...!" he protested.

"A misunderstanding? Not according to the Boston PD," Gold hissed. "I wasn't aware that studying the naked female body was a good way to memorize algebra equations . . .unless there's new methods of teaching math since I went to school!"

Archie chuckled.

"He's the one who bought that damned magazine, not me!"

"But you continued and encouraged the boy by showing him pictures on websites just like the ones the defendant visited, isn't that so? And you also told him of places he could go to witness things like that as well?"

"That kid was a damned liar…he found all that stuff on his own!"

"Then why was one of the witness during your trial the boy's own mother . . who came into the room and witnessed you showing the boy a BSDM video on his laptop?" Gold pressed.

_Try to explain THAT one, you jackass! _Archie thought.

"I...well..."

"Since you cannot refute your own wrongdoing, and your past cast aspersions on your so-called expert testimony, how can you expect any of us to believe that your declarations are true?"

"Assholes...who the hell told you about...?"

"The truth will out, Doctor," Rumple said coldly. "And do watch your mouth, there are children present."

Corlis glared at him as did Spencer.

"No further questions."

Archie could barely conceal the grin on his face when Spencer threw his pen down like a child having a temper tantrum.

"Defense rests," he barked. Both sides gave their closing arguments, Spencer's sounding like a recipe for disaster then the case was handed to the jury.

"…Can you believe that imbecile tried to claim Belle was too drunk to remember anything, that poor Minou girl was a drama queen and Barbara was playing some kink game?" Marie asked Archie while they were standing outside waiting for Arista to finish a cigarette.

"That's Spencer for you."

"You and Mr. Gold got him good by showing what a sicko that Corlis was Doc," Arista praised.

"Archie, I don't like the looks he was giving you when we were walking out of the courthouse. He has it in for you…" Marie said worriedly.

"I'm not afraid of him. What can he do? Nothing," he insisted. Out of the corner of his eye he saw people rushing back into the courthouse. "The jury's back. That didn't take long."

"Ladies and gentlemen have you reached a verdict?" Thomas asked once everyone was back in the courtroom.

"We have, Your Honor."

"Will the defendant please rise?"

The forewoman faced the former sheriff. "We the jury find the defendant Keith Nottingham GUILTY of the crime of rape as charged in the indictment!"

"And Mr. Nottingham is sentenced to life in the penal penitentiary in Boston."

Archie breathed a sigh of relief. Barbara was out of her seat and embracing Rumple. Today was a celebration day for all victims of rape….one of their own had seen justice done. While he was walking to his car, he heard someone calling his name and found himself being hugged by Barbara Allen.

"Thank YOU too, Doctor Hopper."

"You did the hard work Barbara. You sat up there and you took his power away….and that's the important thing. Now maybe the next man will think twice before he tries to rape a woman."

Little did he know that in six months Marie would at last have her day in court and the victory would not be so easy…


	6. No Tell Lover

6

~ No Tell Lover ~

_Pretty smile lovely face and a warm breeze now I need you lady_

_You're my no tell lover_

_Every night in a different place I'll meet you tender lady_

_You're my no tell lover__…_

Chicago – No Tell Lover

With Keith Nottingham behind bars where he belonged and all seeming right in town, the most popular topic for discussion was when Rumple and Belle would finally tie the knot. Their wedding was as eagerly anticipated as the wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles but unlike that marriage, the Gold marriage would last. Invitations went out to everyone in Storybrooke for a Valentine's Day wedding and some of them were asked to be in the wedding but one person who should've been in the wedding party was terrified to.

"What do you mean you won't stand up with me, Marie?" Belle demanded angrily when she showed up at Marie's apartment one morning.

"Look at me...I'm a dancer in a strip club! They'll see me up there and laugh at you and I don't want that to happen."

"You're the closest thing I have to a sister! I don't give a damn what people would say."

_I am your sister, _Marie thought sadly. _Your bastard sister. _

"Please Belle...I'll still be there...just you need someone more respectable to be standing with you."

"Marie, not everyone knows you work at the Foxtrot..."

"But most of the people going to your wedding do."

"And I told you before, I don't care. It's MY day and I'll have who I damned well please in the wedding."

"Your wedding will be perfect as long as you have someone else people won't laugh at standing with you."

"They laugh and they'll be tossed out on their asses OR be beaten with my broom!"

"I'm not worth all the trouble!"

"You are to me!"

"Maybe I shouldn't even bother going!"

"Don't you dare pull that on me, Marie Bordreaux or you'll get my broom across your backside too! All right...but you owe me. When you get married I will be your matron of honor and no one else...deal?"

"You don't have to worry about that...I doubt I'll ever get married," Marie said sadly

"I don't know...I think we'll be hearing wedding bells for you sooner than you think, Marie Bordreaux."

"Hell would have to freeze over first."

"I doubt that. What about this friend of yours? Please tell me you're trying to uncomplicate things between you."

"No…there's no chance."

"I refuse to believe that, Marie and when you stop believing it yourself, that is when you'll see you DO have a chance…a chance at a wonderful life with a wonderful man. I wish I knew who he was because I can tell he's made a difference in your life."

_You have no idea how much, Belle. _

Belle hugged her. "You won't change your mind about standing up with me?"

"No. This is your day and my being up there would only cause trouble but I'll still be there."

Later that morning she and Gisella met up with Archie in the park, Like Belle, he wasn't happy she'd decided not to be in the wedding.

"You still haven't told her the truth, have you?" he quizzed.

"I…I can't…not right now."

"Why? This is the time when she would need to know. I know you're afraid of rejection but Belle isn't like that and neither is your father. Have you considered the possibility that she already suspects the truth and is waiting for you to say it?"

"I…have but when I go to say it…I lose my nerve."

_Doesn__'__t that sound familiar, Hopper? _

"Don't wait too long, Marie," he advised.

"I won't. Are you going to the wedding?"

"I was invited and yes I am."

"You gonna sit with us, Archie?" Gisella asked, jumping up onto the picnic table bench and sitting beside him.

"He can't honey." Marie replied.

Her face fell. "Why not?"

"Umm….they have everyone sitting in assigned places…like they do at school."

"Aww…but I wanna sit with Archie!"

"We can do that at home."

Giselle noticed a bag sitting beside him. "What's in there?"

He picked it up and held it behind his back. "That's not for you to peek in…yet."

She smiled. "It's something for my birthday, isn't it?"

"Your mother did mention you had a birthday today…" He brought the bag out from behind his back and pulled out a package wrapped in Sleeping Beauty wrapping paper. "Happy Birthday, Princess!"

"Oooh, what is it?" she asked excitedly and shook it.

"Open it and find out," Marie said softly.

She tore into the wrapping paper with a vengeance and squealed with delight when she pulled out a set of plush dolls from Sleeping Beauty: Aurora, Maleficent, the three fairies and Prince Philip. "You got me ALL of em!"

"Archie, those are expensive!" Marie cried.

"I don't mind."

"Thank you, Archie!" The little girl threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Mommy got me the costume so I can be Aurora for Halloween this year!"

"Did she? That's wonderful!"

"You gonna go with us when we go trick or treatin?"

"Sella! He doesn't have to spend all his time with us!"

_But what free time I do have, I want to spend with you__…_

"Of course I'll go if your mommy doesn't mind and I've never been trick or treating. It sounds like fun."

"It is."

Marie brought out the cake and ice cream from the shopping bag she brought and the three of them had a quiet birthday celebration. Archie couldn't help wishing there would come a time when they could celebrate her birthday again…this time as a family.

The day of Belle's wedding they sat as far apart as possible; Archie with Geppetto and Marie sat near Moe and his assistant from Game of Thorns. Several times Geppetto caught his friend staring at her from across the lawn , thinking she never looked lovelier in the cerulean blue strapless dress she was wearing.

"When are you going to stop moping about and take the girl out on a date or at least tell her how you feel?" Geppetto demanded impatiently.

"She's not ready yet…" Archie said sadly.

"Maybe you need to show her that she is."

As Marie watched Rumple and Belle dance together she found herself wishing she was dancing with Archie and having him look at her with as much love and devotion as Rumple did and from his own seat he was thinking the same of her. He couldn't imagine them slow dancing together because he didn't know how. He was perfectly content to sit all the dances out until he found himself surrounded by the Scorpions. They were making sure everyone got out on the dance floor.

"Up off your butt, Doc. You're gonna dance the chicken with us!" declared Kat.

"I don't know how to do that."

"All you gotta do is flap your arms around like this and move like this," demonstrated Becky.

"It looks…silly…_I__'__d_ look silly."

"So? We're all gonna look silly together. C'mon!" Bobby grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. They dragged him out onto the dance floor and he found himself standing in front of Marie who was also dancing. They laughed at each other and Marie was clucking at him.

"This is a bit silly but it's fun!" he said to Becky.

"Toldya! We even got Mr. Gold doin it."

Geppetto was laughing when Archie returned to their table. "The only way YOU got out of it was by claiming old age!" Archie teased his friend. "But next time you're going up there with me. I'm not looking silly alone."

"Well Mr. Gold and Belle are being silly now…I like it!" said Geppetto as the newly married couple made a mess of each other with the wedding cake.

"Mommy, Mr. Gold and Belle got cake all over each other!" Gisella laughed.

"It's tradition, sweetie."

"Allll right you single ladies of Storybrooke, form a line behind the bride and the lucky lady who catches it is believed to be the next one to get married!" the DJ announced.

A small crowd gathered and Belle scanned the crowd for stragglers. "Regina! Marie...Emma...over here...now!" she ordered.

Regina looked like she was being dragged to her execution. Emma was rolling her eyes and Marie was looking around to see who would make a smart comment about how a woman of her reputation didn't belong there.

The three women were in the front of the line now. Belle turned her back to them. There were so many women in the crowd whom she felt deserved a chance at love and happiness but none more so than Marie. As the crowd counted off, she tossed the bouquet over her shoulder followed by the excited cries of the women who WANTED to catch but call it fate or chance, the bouquet landed exactly where the bride wished it to...directly into the hands of a shocked Marie Bordreaux who wasn't even trying to catch it while the other woman fought for it.

Belle hugged her. "I'm so glad you caught it."

"I wasn't trying to...it just landed right in my hands!" Marie cried fearfully.

"Yeah it was weird," Emma confirmed.

Regina simply smiled.

"Now...Rumple...let's see you get that garter!" Jeff hooted.

"Before we have the garter toss, we'd like to ask all those under the age of eighteen to go into the house for a bit," Regina announced.

Bae laughed.

"What's the big deal? He's just gonna put his hand up her skirt and get it," Henry said.

"Yeah well it's still NSFY."

"What?"

"Not safe for you."

He didn't understand why he and his friends were included in the group of young kids...hell they'd done more than that in the gang.

David set a chair out for Belle and the DJ began to play The Stripper as Rumple slowly lifted her skirt and ran his hand up her thigh.

"Just how high up there is it, dearie?" he asked with a smirk.

"That's for me to know...and you to find out my sexy beast..." she purred, the touch of his hand on her skin making her wish their wedding night had already gotten started.

"Ahhh ha...there were are..." he murmured as his fingers grasped the blue silk and lace band and dragged it slowly down her thigh to her calf among catcalls and wolf whistles from the men in attendance. The sorcerer rose to his feet with his prize in his hand and an impish grin on his face.

Regina asked the DJ to have the children return.

"Now let's have all the single men in Storybrooke gather around for the garter toss. Are you ready, Rumple?"

"Not quite...where do you think you're going, Hopper?" he demanded of Archie, who was trying to sneak out. If he caught the garter he would have to put it on Marie and the thought of touching her so intimately made him blush.

"Umm...ummm..."

"Oh get in there!" Jeff said and practically dragged the former cricket over to the group.

"You too, Bae!" Rumple ordered his son.

"Awww come on!"

"Now!"

The teenager groaned but obeyed.

"Now I'm ready."

Rumple turned his back to the men and the countdown began. He tossed the garter over his shoulder. There was a brief scuffle and when he turned around the scrap of silk and lace was dangling from a blushing Archie Hopper's finger.

Archie was stunned. Like Marie, he wasn't even trying to catch it and yet it landed in his hand like it was meant to.

"Now where is that lovely lady with the bouquet...come up here, please?"

"Go on, Marie..." Belle encouraged.

"But...HE...caught..."

"Archie's a gentleman, Marie. All he has to do is put it on your leg...that's it."

The dwarves where whistling, thinking they were the only ones who knew these two were more familiar with each other than they were letting on.

Marie sat down in the chair while Archie kneeled beside her. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his hands on her leg while he put the garter on her, his face flushed with embarrassment. When he was finished he jumped to his feet and retreated back to his table.

_This is one time when tradition is wrong, _Marie thought sadly.

They didn't see each other much during the day over the next few months. Gisella went back to school and Marie was being asked to do more of the daytime shows at the club because Zelena was complaining about it…she wanted to work at night and Archie was busy with appointments. The only upside was that they were able to see each other for a few hours in the evening but one night when he came to visit he was quite upset though he was pleasant for Gisella. After they put the child to bed they sat in the living room to talk about what was bothering him.

"What's wrong Archie?" Marie asked worriedly.

"People in this town!" he cried.

"What happened?"

"I was in my doctor's office for my checkup and I overheard something I shouldn't have, nor should anyone else for that matter because it is a clear violation of doctor-patient confidentiality, something if you'll remember, I was in contempt of court for refusing to break!"

"Did someone say something about you?"

"No. Your sister!"

Marie gasped. "About her….not being able to have children?"

"Yes. I'll get to the bottom of it, Marie. I promise," he vowed.

"Please do, Archie…and she and Rumple may need to talk about it…"

"All I can do is tell them my door's open but it's their choice if they want to confide in me about it."

"Belle doesn't even like to talk to me about it but I've known since we were teenagers there was a possibility…"

"I'm going to take Pongo to that park near where Rumple's cabin is and have a talk with them when they go there with Major. I noticed they both seemed a bit distant lately now I understand why." He sighed. "And I'm afraid it may be more than a biological problem."

"What do you mean?"

"The second curse."

"I thought it was only to make you forget those you loved and keep you apart?"

"That's one of the effects but another is the primary targets of it are unable to have children. Emma being back is weakening it but not enough."

_And I__'__m one of them. _

"And you're one of them…oh my God! Archie, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "But I remember Rumple tried to lessen the effects of it the night of Papa's ball!"

"He was partially successful. Bae still has memory lapses and so does he. Belle doesn't have them but she is infertile…"

"That damned curse needs to be broken!"

"Its final victim has to break it and this person has a special trait…but Rumple doesn't remember what it was. Until then…we're all at its mercy."

Later on the following afternoon he drove out of town to the park and spotted the couple along the path leading Major along beside them.

"Hello, Dr. Hopper," Belle greeted warmly.

"Belle, Mr. Gold. Lovely day today, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

Major barked impatiently. "All right, all right….you can go play!" Rumple unhooked the dog's leash from the collar so that he and Pongo could play. Archie also carried sticks with him for the dogs to fetch.

"Go on boys!" he called out and tossed the sticks.

"Mr. Gold, I know we haven't had much of a chance to get to know each other…outside a courtroom or my office that is, but I would like to offer my services should you and Belle need them."

"We're not having any issues…"

"Then you aren't aware…"

"Aware of what?" Rumple asked angrily.

"Oh dear…well…ahh….there's been some rumors around town that Belle is…umm…unable to have children."

"WHAT?!"

"Rumple…" Belle placed her hand on his shoulder to try to soothe him. "It's all right…"

"No it is not! That information was supposed to be kept confidential!"

"I completely agree, Mr. Gold. It's a violation of medical ethics and of patient confidentiality, and I would like to see whoever is responsible punished."

"Oh they will be…when I haul their asses into court!" Rumple sneered. "People can say what they want about me but you do NOT say one word about my wife or my son without being prepared to pay a high price for it! Whom did you hear this information from?"

"I overhead the staff at my doctor's office discussing it when I went in for my yearly check-up. I was appalled. I know I should have come to you with this sooner."

"I wish you would have, Doctor Hopper. Now I understand why people look at me the way they do now…with pity…" Belle said sadly. Rumple pulled her into his arms.

"I am sorry. I know it's not much of a comfort…"

"Never mind….just tell me what you know and I'll handle it," Rumple said.

The three of them sat down at one of the picnic tables.

"What was being discussed was that Belle is unable to have children because and that she has endometriosis and that the information came from someone who worked in her gynecologist's office and the receptionist in my doctor's office is friends with her."

"Was anything else said?" Rumple demanded.

"Well…ahhh…"

"Out with it!"

"Some of them…ahh called you a monster. Now I know that's not true but…"

"I wish they would stop calling you a monster," Belle sobbed. "They don't know you…not like I do. And my not being able to have children has NOTHING to do with our pasts! I've had problems with my body since before I met you!"

"Is that how you feel, Mr. Gold?"

He nodded. "We talked about it…the day she found out and we've discussed other….options but neither of us is ready for that yet."

"I'm assuming one of those options is magical?"

"Yes, but I won't let him do it because there's a price that comes with it. I won't let him get hurt even for me!"

"Whatever the price is sweetheart, I would pay it."

Archie was deeply touched by Rumplestiltskin's devotion to his young wife. It was a side of him some people in the town never thought he had. He hoped the Fates would be kind to them and grant them the miracle they longed for. He knew it wouldn't be possible for him unless the second curse was broken.

"Thank you for telling us, Doctor Hopper."

"I will find out who did this, Belle," he promised.

"I wish we could stay but we have to pick up Bae's friend. You may remember her…Andi." Rumple said.

"Oh, I do. She's the one they called Wraith. How is she?"

"Good…and so are the rest of them it seems, thank the gods. Thank you again, Doctor Hopper and if we do need to talk, we'll call you."

As it turned out Belle's father learned who the culprit was after getting into a fight with Sean Herman, otherwise known as Prince Thomas. Archie wasn't shocked the guilty party was one Ashley Boyd. He recalled Jeff telling him how the girl once known as Cinderella had a grudge against Rumple when he refused to help her snag a prince. Instead she went to another magician and ended up pregnant and abandoned but the best news he heard that Belle was now expecting…and strangely enough Rumple was having the symptoms along with her. He didn't see anything wrong with it but a group of men in town obviously did and planned to do something about it.

Archie was going for a walk with Pongo one evening when he spotted a mob of angry women and his mouth dropped open. "Ladies, what's going on?"

"Payback!" screamed Mrs. Muffet.

"Yeah…no one tries to deprive us of a real man and gets away with it!"

"You got a choice, boy...you're either with us...or THEM!" Granny warned.

"Dr. Hopper...they've kidnapped my husband...because they don't like that he's going through all this with me...being so wonderful about it all…" Belle trailed off.

"He's a REAL man!" Mary Margaret shouted.

Archie didn't know what the hell they were talking about, but he knew one thing-nobody messed with a bunch of angry women. It would be like walking into a cage of hungry lionesses with a steak around his neck.

"They-they kidnapped Mr. Gold?" he sputtered. "That's awful! Of course I'll help. There's nothing wrong with a husband being supportive and . . . and concerned and all when his wife's expecting! Nothing at all!"

"He's with us!" the baroness cried. "Let's get them!"

"Uh, Belle? WHO kidnapped him?" Archie asked.

"That asshole boyfriend of mine, my father and God knows who else...the 'Concerned Men of Storybrooke' they call themselves," Emma answered.

"Well we are the Furious Women of Storybrooke and here comes Operation Hell's Fury!" Mary Margaret proclaimed.

Archie grinned. "I like the sound of that!"

_And I know some men who__'__d better start digging their graves__…__.Jesus Jeff, breaking into Cora__'__s vaults was ballsy but this is flat out stupid! _

He walked ahead and spotted the car Jeff Hatter was driving, taking note of what direction it was heading in and frowned. He should've known they would take him THERE of all places and like he was the night he got dragged there; Rumple would be uncomfortable as hell. Unless...

He pulled out his cellphone.

"Hello?"

"Marie, it's Archie. Where are you?"

"I'm at the club. Where are you?"

"With a mob of angry women."

"What? Why?"

"Some of the idiots who call themselves 'the concerned men of Storybrooke' took Rumple and they're on their way to the club now...and they will not and I quote 'return him to Belle until they decide he's fit to be'."

"Good God! Belle will be so upset!"

"She already is. Can you find a way to keep Rumple with you until we get there?"

"You know they're gonna want a show."

Archie sighed. "Is that necessary?"

"Archie...are you...jealous?"

"What? No, of course not!" he said stiffly.

_Oh the hell you're not Hopper! You don't want her on Gold's lap any more than you want her on anyone else's. _

"I'll think of something and call Belle when he gets here so she knows he's in good hands."

"Fine," he mumbled.

"When I get done here you and I are having a little talk."

"About what?"

"You know about what! I don't know why you're acting like this all of a sudden."

"Oh, so I am not supposed to be bothered by the fact that you're going to do a dance on a very married man's lap...your sister's husband I might add. While she's expecting?" Archie said angrily.

"It's not like I would...oooh dammit! Where did the real Archie Hopper go and leave a jerk in his place?"

"Marie, I..."

"We are going to talk about this...later."

"No, we're going to talk about this now! I am not being a jerk. I just don't like it, that's all."

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"What you did with me, take him to the damned private room!"

"That won't work...not with him."

Archie groaned. "All right...do what you have to do and we'll get there as soon as we can."

"And we are going to talk about what crawled up your ass all of a sudden, Doctor Hopper."

"Okay." Now he did feel like a jerk. "Marie...I am sorry..."

_Well, you handled that brilliantly, Doctor! _

"I am too...we'll talk later...your place or mine?"

"Ummm...maybe I should come over to your apartment since that girl you have watching Gisella doesn't like to stay there too late."

"I'll try to wrap this up early enough that you can see her before she goes to bed. They're here now…gotta go!"

"All right. "

Once he was finished talking to Marie he approached Emma. "Umm…Sheriff Swan…I think they might be taking him to the Foxtrot."

"What?! That son of a bitch…when I get my hands on him….They got him in the strip joint! C'mon girls…haul ass!" she shouted.

Fortunately the show was over by the time he and the angry women arrived but seeing Rumple's shirt undone and Marie's lipstick on him had the former cricket seeing red.

_Was THAT really necessary?_ he seethed inwardly. He glared at Marie and went back outside; not wanting to see any more of that place than he needed to while the women gave their husbands an earful. Then he and Pongo started walking toward home.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Marie demanded coldly. He paused in mid stride and turned around to see her standing behind him, her hands on her hips.

"Home."

"No, you're not. We're going to my place and we're going to have a talk about this attitude of yours."

_She calls it my attitude, I call it frustration. It__'__s time to untie those knots on your tongue, cricket and tell her how you feel, once and for all. _

Part of him feared rejection. He invested so much in her emotionally and to have her tell him she'd never feel the same would be a fatal blow to his heart. They barely spoke during the walk back to her apartment. Julie was in the living room doing her homework when they arrived. Marie bid her a quick goodnight and went to check on Gisella. Her daughter was already asleep.

"All right Hopper, out with it," she demanded when she returned to the living room, hands on her hips.

He sighed. "All right, I was jealous! Was that what you wanted to hear?"

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked angrily. "Marie, we've known each other for almost a year and the only time we see each other is either here or my apartment but I'm tired of sneaking around. I want to go out with you…in public!"

"But…but…everyone would laugh at you! The straight laced Doctor Hopper dating a Foxtrot dancer?It would ruin you and I won't let that happen!"

"How I conduct my personal life is my business, not theirs! I've been asked to chaperon the school dance and I want you to go with me. Unless you don't want to."

"I'd like to go with you Archie, I really would but you know as well as I do it won't happen if someone tells them who I really am."

"If that's the case they can find themselves another chaperon because I refuse to be a party to hypocrisy!"

Unfortunately for both of them Merri Blue overheard Marie talking to Arista about him taking her to the dance at the club and called Mr. Hale, the principal and the following morning Archie got a call to go to the school that afternoon while Marie was at the spa with Belle and Andi.

"I've been told you're planning to bring a woman who dances at the Foxtrot to the school dance and I'm afraid I can't allow that, Doctor Hopper."

"Not everyone knows she does, Mr. Hale and despite what everyone thinks, not all the women who work in that club are loose."

"That's not the point Doctor. The point is a woman with that sort of…reputation….would be a negative influence. You will need to find yourself another companion for the evening."

"No, you need to find yourself another chaperon!" Archie growled and stormed out of the office. He sat in his car for several minutes to calm himself down before he called Marie.

"I told you this would happen!" she cried. "Just go without me…"

"No! I told you...I refuse to be a party to hypocrisy. They can find someone else!"

"This is my fault…I was telling Arista about it…and that bitch Merri overheard me…"

"That woman has no room to judge anyone!" He sighed. "We'll just do something else…I don't know what but I'll think of something."

"Being seen in public with me is a bad idea, Archie."

"Not to me it isn't."

He felt like he was going to go insane trying to think of what would be the perfect first date for them where they wouldn't have to worry about anyone bothering them when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Archie…it's Marie…."

"What's wrong?"

"Belle and Rumple…they want us to have our date tonight….at their cabin."

"They do?" He was stunned.

"Yes…if you still want to go out with me…"

He smiled. "Of course I do. When should I pick you up?"

"Six-thirty?"

"That sounds perfect."

"I should warn you…"

"What?"

"Rumple's on his way over there."

"For what?"

"I don't know."

_Hopefully he can give me some advice on how I can make tonight perfect! _

"Gisella's calling for me. I'll see you tonight then?"

"Tonight…" he said softly.

Rumple walked into Archie's small office and his eyebrows rose into his hair. He saw piles of papers everywhere, on the desk, falling onto the floor, put in heaps on top of the filing cabinet, and in stacks by the window. "Archie, what the HELL do you call this? It's a disaster!"

"Ummm...I haven't really had that much time to ummm...organize everything since the curse broke and..."

That was an understatement. Thanks to the curse he had more patients than he knew what to do with and adding to his anxiety he was going on his first date in gods knew HOW long.

Gold waded through the seemingly endless swamp of paperwork and leaned on a corner of the overflowing desk. He pointed to the middle of it. "HOW do you find anything in this . ..this . . .wreckage? There's not even space to write on there!"

"It wasn't this bad a week ago!" Archie protested.

He set aside a day to clean up his office but every time he wanted to do it something always came up. And his mind wasn't on cleaning when his last patient left for the day.

It was on the two people who made every day much brighter.

"You're trying to tell me all THIS happened a week ago?" Rumple sputtered. "No way! This looks like months worth of clutter!"

That was the trouble...Rumplestiltskin could spot a lie a mile away even from someone who was raised to be a con artist.

The pawnbroker put a hand on his hip and scowled. "What are all these papers? How can you find patient records, files, and notes in this huge mess?"

He did have to spend a considerable amount of time before an appointment looking for a file before he actually located it. Thankfully his patients didn't suspect a thing. He wasn't this scatterbrained as a cricket. Damned curse.

"I've been thinking of hiring an assistant."

"You need to . . .or a recycling bin to throw half this crap out!"

"I've been thinking of asking Marie...she needs to get out of that damned club...but does she know anything about running an office?"

"Why don't you ask her and find out?"

"I'm nervous enough about tonight!"

"Why are you nervous about tonight?"

"This will be the first time we've been together without Gisella around...and I haven't been out on a date in a long time...and I don't want to mess it up!"

"Okay . . .would you like some advice?"

He raked a hand through his hair. "And LOOK at her...she's beautiful...like a goddess…and I'm...well..."

Nothing to write home to her father about...

"And what kind of advice...on not sounding like an idiot?"

Rumple studied the therapist thoughtfully. "Breathe, Hopper."

"After that fiasco with chaperoning the dance I thought she'd just want to go back to being friends...then she calls me about tonight..."

"Then she must want to go out with you for some reason. What are you wearing on this date?"

"Ummm...probably something like the suit I'm wearing now..."

Rumple shook his head rapidly. "No, no . . .you need something that doesn't scream "work clothes."

"Like what? I don't have any other clothes. This is how I've dressed for twenty-eight years."

And Marie didn't seem to mind them, at least he thought so.

"Then maybe you'd better let me help you. If this date's gonna be something special . .. then you need to dress like it." Rumple said.

"I'd like it to be...I've been going crazy for weeks trying to tell her how I feel, which was why I asked her to go to the dance with me then Mr. Hale made those comments about Marie's 'occupation'...and I was so damned mad I walked out."

"Okay . . .so how about you come out with me and we can shop for some outfits for you? Especially a new suit."

Going shopping with a man who dressed in Armani and Gucci was not going to do well for his credit card bill...

But he DID want to look his best for Marie...

"All right...I'll go."

"Come on then, dearie. Before I get a trash bag and start pitching things in it."

Archie suspected if he did, there would be nothing left in the office. He thought about having a talk with the sorcerer about his OCD then decided against it.

He felt uncomfortable when they walked into the men's shop, everyone was staring at them. He was certain Rumple was used to it...but he wasn't.

"All right, let's start with some suits," Rumple said and gestured to the rack of them along the far wall.

Archie reached for a tan checkered one, similar to the suit he was currently wearing.

Rumple shook his head and put out a hand. "No. You need something different than that. That's a business suit. You need something else . . . something more dressy."

"But I've always worn..." he sighed. "What doesn't look like a business suit? I'm not a fashion model...I'm a doctor!"

_It's for Marie, Archie...you want to look your best..._

Gold went to a section of Armani and Dolce and Gabbana that had slightly darker colors and no prints. "These. Look, they're slightly different . . . more elegant looking."

"And more for someone on the red carpet."

"No, they're also for someone who wants to look his best on a date." Rumple argued. "Here. Try these two on. We can pick out ties and so forth later."

One was mocha colored, the other navy blue.

He came out of the dressing room in the navy blue one first. "I know I'm going to sound strange for asking but does this look right?"

Rumple studied him thoughtfully, walking around the other man to see him from all angles.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm examining how it looks from all angles," the former weaver answered.

"What...? What difference does it...? I feel like a piece of beef on a slab!"

"Sorry . . . it does because I can see how it falls on you and everything . . .and if it needs to be taken in here and there."

"I guess I'll try this one now..." He took the mocha suit into the dressing room next.

He came out a few minutes later. "Ummm...how about this one?"

"Yes, I like it."

He did too. "Now...I don't know what to wear with it..."

"Just go pick out some shirts and let me have a look."

The first shirt he emerged in was a red one. Rumple's eyes widened in horror and he made a slashing gesture against his throat. "What the HELL is that, Hopper? It looks like someone bled all over it! No, absolutely not…put that back…in fact; put the damned thing in the trash bin!"

"All right, I'll get rid of it!" Archie cried and retreated to the dressing room to try on the next shirt. "Good gods, does he have to be so…harsh," he muttered, grabbing a cream colored silk shirt off of a hanger and putting it on. He returned to the lobby bracing himself for another tirade.

"What about this one?"

"Much better. Now you'll need a tie, preferably one that is the same color as your suit but we're going to pick up a few more because you're throwing out the ones you have."

"What's wrong with the ones I...never mind...I don't even want to know!"

He had a feeling his entire wardrobe was going to be sent to the trash bin once Rumple was finished.

They chose a tie to match his suit then he picked up a purple one. Rumple snatched it out of his hand.

"What's wrong with that one?"

"You can buy it...if you want to look like you're wearing Barney's tail."

"What? Oh...it doesn't look like that!"

"It does and you're not going to be caught dead in it."

"You wear a tie that's purple…so why am I not allowed to? Would you care to explain that?"

"MY tie is not a screaming advertisement of a purple dinosaur on a children's show," Rumple retorted. "It's a subdued shade of nightdusk purple with blue swirls in it that matches a shirt I own and my gray Armani suit. I can see you need a crash course in fabrics and colors and what goes with what."

"That could take all night...and I'll be late picking Marie up!"

"No you won't...now pay attention."

He began to explain to Archie about the spectrum of colors and the two which all other colors went with, no matter what-white and black. He also explained that you never put a print with a stripe or a print with a different print, nor colors that contradicted together.

"When you have a bright or dark color-like your suit for instance, you need to offset it by choosing either a neutral color, like the cream shirt, or a lighter shade of the same color. But you never pair a loud color with another loud color they clash and make you look garish. And unless you're a circus performer that is not the impression you want to make on a first date."

"No...I don't...I'm still worried she'll back out..."

"Don't worry about that, dearie. If she's agreed to see you, it means she likes you. Now, we need to get some shoes too . . ."

"I know she likes me as a friend but dammit Rumple...I'm in love with her...I have been almost from the moment we met but every time I try to tell her...I lose my nerve!"

"Then maybe you should quit trying to tell her, Archie, and show her instead."

"I thought I have been!"

Rumple cleared his throat. "When I . . first started falling in love with Belle . . I couldn't even admit I felt love for her or she did for me. But I . . . started doing small things for her and then . . .after Zelena poisoned her . . . and I had saved her life . . .it was then I really showed her I truly loved her, but I couldn't say it . . .not until Maurice forced my hand . . .but by then I think she knew for days."

"Would making dinner for her and Gisella sometimes and taking care of Gisella while she works be considered part of that..?"

"Yes, since that's her daughter and she loves her. Belle tutored Bae and helped him read and that made me see that she genuinely cared about him as well as me . . .something that no woman had done . . . not even Milah. And that . . . meant everything to me," the sorcerer muttered softly.

"I want everything to be perfect tonight...I want to be perfect...not like the men she's used to dealing with at that damned club."

"You could never be like them, Hopper. You have principles and standards they don't. You already see her as a person, not some sex toy. Not some receptacle for their pleasure."

"And she's had some difficulties with men in the past...a certain bastard named Gaston in particular," Archie said bitterly.

"I should have hexed him into a rose . . .or a lawn ornament!"

"If he ever comes near her again..."

"For now, let's worry about getting you ready for your date. You can dream about castrating him and shooting him into outer space on a rocket later."

"All right...shoes...right?"

"Yes. And you look for three things here-color, you want something that matches well and even stands out slightly, comfort, you want to be able to walk in them, and usually leather is good and versatile."

He could just hear his parents now_...silly Jiminy...wandering around like an idiot over a woman who can certainly have the pick of the crop!_

"Hey! No woolgathering," Rumple coughed, sounding like a slightly stern teacher who noticed his student drifting off.

"Hmmm...what?"

"Hopper, focus!" Rumple waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Archie! We were talking about shoes."

"I'm sorry...was just thinking about how my parents would laugh at me for all this..."

"Well, they were idiots; now listen to me, not them." Rumple instructed. "There's a reason why I choose Gucci for my shoes-not only do they have all three of the points I mentioned before, they also make you look classy, not like some country bumpkin just off the farm . . ."

Archie studied the shoes on the racks feeling like that former gypsy pickpocket. This was going to be a disaster...he just knew it.

_People will take one look at me and laugh...I'm like a kid playing dress up._

Rumple allowed him to take his time, seeing if he'd pick the pair he thought was right

_Pull yourself together cricket or you're going to be the King of Might Have Been...in fact, that'll be your theme song!_

He grabbed a pair of loafers and held them up.

They were brown leather, the same shade as the suit he planned to wear with a gold buckle across the front.

He nearly fainted when he saw the price.

"Eight hundred dollars for a pair of shoes!"

_You have it, cricket...and then some. This is for Marie...so you'd better count on spending a pretty penny._

He glanced over at Rumple. "Are you honestly telling me this is how much you spend?"

"Yes. It's worth it if you want shoes that will last for a long time-years-and still feel good as the day you bought them."

He tried them on. "They feel comfortable. I'll get them. Plus I'll have to find something I can wear where I'm going for my walks with Pongo or to the park with Sella and Marie."

"Then you need these," Rumple indicated a line of casual loafers and walking shoes. "They're what I wear at home, when I want to look more casual."

"Causal for me is not wearing my jacket and tie or a sweater once in a while..." He added a pair of each to the items he already had.

"Let's go and see the sweaters over here," Gold indicated the men's department. "Though unless they're handwoven, most sweaters I wouldn't be caught dead wearing. Machines can weave the fibers tight but nothing beats the softness and richness of color when you hand weave."

Archie picked out a green and brown striped one and held it out. It was similar to the one he wore with his brown suit on cold days.

He'd forgotten he was in the presence of a former weaver and spinner...and harsh fashion critic.

Rumple gaped at him. "You have GOT to be kidding me, Hopper! That . . .THAT looks like you're wearing two used carpets sewn together from a garage sale. I wouldn't be BURIED in that!"

"It's like one I wear...okay, I'll put it back!"

"Yes you can leave that there for when Lucky Luciano comes back from the dead and needs to hide a body."

Archie shook his head. "My closet is going in the trash, isn't it?"

"If it looks like this then yes it is."

He suddenly found that comforting.

"Maybe it is time for me to be...different..."

It was what he wanted years ago before he became a cricket only it hadn't turned out quite like he'd planned but now he was being given the chance to do it right.

"And you will like all these new clothes and fabrics, Archie. They feel so much better against your skin. They don't itch or rub you raw or wrinkle easily. Though you will have an expensive dry cleaning bill, but it'll be worth it. And Belle thinks . . .she thinks I look like some kind of god in my suits . . .like she did when I wore my leather pants and silk shirts back home."

"I doubt Marie would think of me like that but to me...she's my Aphrodite..."

The former spinner chuckled. "I suppose we all think that way about our girlfriends and they do about us. But you want to know a secret? I wore my leather pants so much because they were comfortable, not because I thought they made me look sexy. Once you break in leather, it fits like a second skin and it's incredibly soft . . .much better than homespun especially considering most weavers back in our old realm didn't card or rinse the wool properly before they wove it, or spin mohair like I did from my goat."

"I don't think leather pants would look all right on me...I didn't even wear them at home."

"You should try them sometime if we ever go back home. You'll see what I mean then." He walked over to where a soft looking cable knit sweater of a tasteful muted green was hanging. "THIS is what you want." He ran his fingers across it. "Handwoven knit from Ireland. See the difference?"

"The stitching is a bit more...detailed..."

He added it to his growing collection. By the time they were finished in the shop, he felt like he'd spent a fortune but he had a whole new look to show for it. He also had an appointment the following morning to pick up his contact lenses.

"Should I pick up some trash bags on the way back to my place?" he joked.

Rumple smirked. "Yes. You just might need some."

That was an understatement and Archie braced himself for the verbal assault Rumple would launch on his closet...before he started tossing everything out of it.

"I'll go...make us some tea..." he said and went into the kitchen with Pongo.

Pongo started barking when he heard Rumple's tirade in the bedroom.

When Rumple started looking at the things in the closet, he was horrified. Archie's clothes screamed country bumpkin and he scowled and started ripping things off hangers and throwing them into the trash bags growling, "God I wouldn't be caught going to my FUNERAL in this! Or this . . .and what the HELL was this made with? A pottery wheel in some kid's basement?"

He threw the striped green and brown sweater into a bag. "BAE sewed better than this when he was six!"

He pulled a pair of pants off a hanger. "And THESE were in style back in the disco era . . if then!"

Pongo whined.

"Oh, it's all right, Pongo. Are you ready for that tea, yet, Rumple?"

Rumple reminded himself to take deep breaths and not get too excited. His blood pressure was probably through the roof at this sight. "God sake, Hopper, are ye tryin' t' make me keel over!" he groaned, his accent broadening in his distress.

"Why don't you sit down for a bit?"

"Yes, I need a break before I throw a fireball to the place!" He limped out and sat down at the table, where he fixed his tea and petted Pongo, who came and put his head in his lap.

"I do appreciate you doing this..."

"Good, because I wouldn't be doing it for anyone else." Rumple grunted and ate a chocolate chip cookie.

"What makes me so different? Aside from the fact that I'm dating your sister-in-law."

"Because I can see that you honestly WANT my help and advice . . .unlike the rest of the people in this town who come whining to me to fix things like I'm some kind of magical repair service and never even thank me for it and I don't see them again until they need something else from me." Gold admitted, feeling quite angry when he considered what he had put up with when dealing with some other people.

"I noticed that...more so now that the first curse is broken, Regina and Barbara Allen being the exceptions." He scowled. "People have a tendency to think that I'm not aware of what goes on in this town...how most of them hide behind masks...and judge others far more than they should. Take Miss Blue for instance. Marie didn't have to tell me she was the one who went to Mr. Hale about my bringing Marie to the school dance. And Ashley Boyd had no right to make a mockery of Belle's fertility issue when what happened to HER back in our land was no one's fault but her own!"

"People always tend to blame others for their own screwed up messes," Gold snorted. "Milah was continually blaming ME for her status issues and her unhappiness as the wife of a coward when she could have just ignored the rumors or stood up for me and my decision. And then when she decided to run off with her buccaneer she probably blamed leaving Bae on me as well. Because her choices were all my fault."

"I knew I had no one to blame but myself for what happened with Geppetto's parents. Had I stood up to my parents and left on my own they would not be dolls now."

"And magic can sometimes be part of the problem and not the solution. Yes, seeking a magical solution for your parental issues was wrong, but you've spent your life making amends for that mistake which is more than some others have done."

He finished his tea and stood up. "All right. Let's finish cleaning out your closet…THEN we'll deal with the natural disaster you call an office!"

Archie's hands gripped the steering wheel as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the Gold house later that evening. He was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room filled with rocking chairs and any minute one of those chairs would snap it off.

"You can do this," he chanted. This wasn't his first date but Marie was unlike any other woman he'd met before and he wanted her to enjoy her time with him. Once he asked her out, they'd entered uncharted territory…and he wanted everything to be perfect. He got out and knocked on the door.

"Mommy, your date's here!" he heard Gissela yell out as she opened the door.

Archie blushed and said, "Hello, Gisella. You're like the town crier."

Marie wanted to sink into the floor. This would be a disaster. Still she couldn't deny he looked stunning in his mocha suit. It was the color she thought he looked best in though she dared not say it aloud and she suspected her brother-in-law must've helped him pick it out.

"You all look incredible," he said, looking at the Golds and Bae's girlfriend Andi. "But especially . . ." then he caught sight of Marie . . . and his fine speech deserted him. "Oh!"

_Dear gods can she be any more beautiful! _

"I look terrible, don't I?" Marie croaked. I overdid it, she thought. She backed away ready to run to the farthest corners of the earth. He was referring to Belle not her...she should've expected that.

"Terrible? No . . .no, you look . . .beautiful!" he assured her. "Like a queen . . .I . . .I had this . . .wonderful speech prepared and when I saw you I forgot everything."

_Like Aphrodite herself__…_

"Y...You...had a speech prepared...for me?"

"Umm . . . yes . . .I did . . .err . . . maybe I could recite it for you . . .in the car?" he blushed.

If I can get my tongue to stop feeling like it has a damned brick on it long enough…

Marie smiled. "If you'd like to."

"Granpappy, take a picture with Mommy an' Mister Hopper!" Gisella prompted.

"You heard her, Papa," Belle prodded.

"All right you two...pose for my granddaughter and smile!"

Archie was beaming and wondering when he was going to wake up from the lovely dream he was having.

Marie was terrified this was all a fantasy and when she blinked her eyes it would be gone. He would be gone. She would just have to enjoy it while it lasted...

"Okay Gisella, you be good for Granpappy and we'll be by to pick you up later."

"Okay." She threw her arms around her mother.

She was hoping soon Archie would be her real daddy and her bad daddy would be in jail.

She then approached Archie. "You take care of Mommy or I'll kick ya when I see ya!"

"Gisella!"

But Archie was not put off by the child's attitude. "I promise I will take the best care of her," he said solemnly. "So you can forget about injuring me, okay?"

"Okay!" The little girl sought out Rumple next.

"Gotta go with Granpappy now...see ya later alligator!"

Rumple laughed. "You are too much! Be good and I'll see you soon."

He hugged her.

She then hugged her aunt. "Don't be havin your baby yet...wanna see it."

"You have a little time to wait for that," Belle giggled.

"Like months!" laughed Bae. "High five, Gisella."

She jumped up and smacked her hand against his.

"No givin Andi the tongue Bae or your daddy's gonna ground you for a month an' make you eat liverwurst!"

"I...am..going to...KILL Zelena!" Marie muttered.

"Okay . . .I'll remember . . .!" Bae smirked. "And don't forget to take your magic coloring book."

"Can I watch..ooohhh wee ooohh...burrrnnnn the witch!" Gisella grabbed her magic coloring book and tucked it into her bag.

Belle and Marie had tears in their eyes from laughing.

Gisella high fived Andi. "If Bae doesn't act like a nice guy...you can kick him in the nuts."

"Gisella..." Marie moaned, shaking her head. The things that child said sometimes...

Andi laughed. "Bae's always nice to me. It's other guys I have to worry about."

"Well kick 'em anyhow...BYEEEEE!"

"Have a good time," Moe said to the group and followed his granddaughter out to the car.

Archie waved as they left. Then he took Marie's arm. "Shall we?"

"Yes..."

She wondered if he would still make the speech he claimed to have prepared for her. She'd heard men speak sweet nothings before, Gaston being the worst of them...right before he make it clear he was only interested in what he could get out of her. And he'd given her a brutal lesson on how dangerous the male of the species could be...

"Have a good time!" Belle called to them.

Used to empty promises from many other men, Marie expected Archie to be no different once they were alone now and just try to take what he wanted from her. She'd forgotten this was the same man who comforted her so many times after her tense encounters with Gaston...and anyone else for that matter.

She wanted the deep passionate love her sister had...if it was even possible.

He played soothing romantic music from Josh Groban and Journey on the way to the cabin, and shared the fact that he had been as nervous as a long tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, to use an old phrase from this world, coming to pick her up. He admitted that he hadn't been out on many dates with women . . .probably because after spilling their guts to him on his couch they didn't want to get any closer.

"And it has to do with professional ethics right?'

"Yes. Though it's not forbidden for me to date a patient. Just disclose anything about them." He cleared his throat. "I don't want you to feel . . . uncomfortable with me, Marie. You know I would never hurt you, right? In any way. My parents were thieves and con artists, but I'm not like them. Like Mr. Gold, I know how to treat ladies."

_And when I__'__m with you, it__'__s how you make me feel__…_she thought.

"I'm trying...I really am but you've seen the men I attract by what I do for a living...Why did you come to the club the night we met?"

She'd always been curious about that but never dared to ask before.

He was with the dwarves but looked uncomfortable which was why she offered to handle him instead of Blue…or Zelena.

"Ahh . . . Leroy and the others talked me into it. Said I needed to . . . get out more . . .do some guy stuff . . . and I thought they meant have a drink at the Rabbit Hole. I didn't even know where they were going until we got there, since I wasn't driving. And by then I was . . .well . . .I didn't want to act like a stiff . . ." he chuckled ruefully. "Guess you noticed though, huh?"

"Which was why I took you to the private room...you needed to talk."

Hearing Zelena servicing one of her regulars on the other side of the wall hadn't helped matters.

Marie knew a lot of the girls did that because Fox encouraged it. She NEVER did.

She drew the line at sex with customers.

"I did . . . because that's what you did with a woman when you barely knew her where I came from . . .and I found out you were a nice girl . . .and I wondered why you were working for Mr. Fox."

"After my accident there was little else I could do. I didn't have my memories of the skills I had as Belle's lady in waiting. Plus the hours allowed me to be home with Gisella more."

Archie shook his head sadly. "The things this curse made us do . . . some of us will be long time recovering from it. Have you considered . . . leaving your job and doing something new?" He'd asked her this many times before hoping she would actually consider it this time.

"Now that my leg is healed, yes but people still see me as a whore for working there..."

"I don't. If . . . if you like, you could come work for me . . . as my office manager," he offered. "I always need someone to help handle my schedule and the paperwork could fill a room. Unless that'd be too boring . . .or something."

"As long as it doesn't keep me away from Gisella too much I could. But you don't have to take pity on me..."

He laughed. "Me, pity you? Oh no . . .you're going to pity me when you see the disgrace my office is in. When Regina engineered the curse, she didn't think about what it would be like when we all woke up . . . and I have more clients now than I can shake a stick at. When Rumple came over to . . . err . . .offer me some tips on suits . . . he almost passed out!"

_And nearly had a conniption over a few of my wardrobe choices__…_

"They were a bit...odd."

"My clothes? Blame Regina for that."

"If it's any consolation my wardrobe is no better."

"Perhaps . . . we both need to turn over a new leaf, and start doing and behaving like we used to . . . before we were cursed."

_Only I didn__'__t like myself all that much before I was cursed, _they were both thinking.

"Well…ahhh...I still had a bit of a mouth on me and was...headstrong."

"And I let my parents lead me around by the nose half the time," he admitted. "But my point is . . . we can be anything we want to be . ..if we try. I actually have a better life here than I would back in our old realm as a cricket."

"If I could get Gaston to own up to Gisella I'd move us into a house...and get her a dog...like Pongo."

_And someone to wake up next to in the morning and go to sleep with at night._

"That might be tough . . . considering what he's like," Archie made a face. "And we can work out your schedule so you can be home with your daughter as much as possible. Have you considered the option of a nanny? I know a wonderful woman named Mary . . ."

Mary Poppins was a lady in her early fifties who traveled the realms and became a nanny to unhappy families and help them discover ways to be happy. Once the family was happy and the wind changed, she would fly away with her umbrella to the next family. The constant moving around began to take its toll on her and she confessed to him many times she wanted to find a family she could stay with even after it found happiness.

"Sella...she can be a bit difficult with strangers..."

In the short time she'd known him, Archie Hopper was the closest thing Gisella had to a father and she'd taken to him right away.

"Hmm . . . what about your family? You know . . .odd as it is for people to believe . . .Rumple is extremely good with children . . ."

"He loves spending time with her but since he and Belle are having a baby, I don't want to be a bother."

"I doubt if he would see it that way. Even cursed, he wanted to be with his family. You should ask him. He might be staying home more now that Belle is expecting."

"She's still a hand full…like her aunt and me. Papa was always searching for us."

"You liked to wander, did you?" he smiled at her.

"A lot."

His eyes twinkled as he put the car in park and got out. "Well, perhaps you'll be content to stay here for awhile." He stared at the cabin. "I'll say this much for Rumple-he doesn't do things by halves! This place is . . . not like I expected."

She smiled. "It's their 'little paradise' as Belle calls it. She likes coming up here so they have more privacy when they want to be ahhh...alone."

"I can see why." He dug the key out of his pocket, and held out an arm to her. "Shall we?"

"Of course."

He strolled with her up to the front door. The evening sky was aglow with stars and the moon shone down like an unlooked for blessing upon them. He paused with the key halfway turned in the lock and murmured, "You doth teach the torches to burn bright, Marie." It was his favorite line from Romeo and Juliet and though he felt he was no Romeo, she was his Juliet.

"Me?"

"You." His hand came up and caressed her cheek.

She was stunned by such an intimate gesture. Even when he came to see her to comfort her after she had fights with Gaston...or anyone else, he never touched her like this and it hadn't bothered her...until a week ago.

After spending so much time with him, getting to know him, she allowed herself to fantasize he could be the man for her that Rumple was for Belle but there were as many obstacles to their relationship as there had been to her sister's with Rumple. She was the one who had the tainted reputation in this one.

And it was because of Gaston and his lies, making her sound like Zelena...willing to be on her back or her knees for any man who noticed her, never mind that he'd taken her against her will and threatened to kill her and Gisella if she told the truth. To protect her child, she like Hester Prynne in the Scarlet Letter wore a badge of shame.

Her hopes were fueled even more when he asked her to go with him while he chaperoned the dance, hopes dashed when it was made quite clear that a woman with her reputation didn't need to be around the children. She insisted Archie go to the dance anyway but he refused.

He refused...out of respect for HER. Her. And her dear sister and brother-in-law now gave them a chance at an evening alone that would be better than having to ride herd on rowdy teenagers. She didn't envy Belle and Rumple a bit with that.

He dropped his hand and turned and fumbled with the lock, wondering if he'd been too forward_. I don't want her to get the wrong impression of me . . . I'm not like those other guys . . . who just want to sleep with her, he thought as he turned the knob. But I DO want to kiss her . . . very badly! Oh, gods, Hopper . . .practice some restraint!_

And for months the opportunity never seemed to present itself…until now.

"Well, this is . . . lovely," he exclaimed upon seeing the interior of the cabin. "I confess . . . I was prepared to see . .. uh . . . deer heads and antlers on the wall and fishing poles."

"Deer heads and antlers? Rumple?"

"You're right. Must have got Gaston on my brain," he laughed. "Blech!" He shook his head. "Rumple has better taste than that."

"Yes he does...and Gaston does have almost everything on his wall...and other places," she said bitterly.

He rubbed a hand soothingly on her shoulder, greatly daring. "Let's . . . forget about him. Let him molder away in his corner . . .like the piece of junk he is. Tonight . . . is for us." His blue eyes were decidedly hopeful and endearing . . . and brightened with a hint of passion. This was one of the many nights he'd been waiting his whole life for. If they took a chance…

Now she understood what her sister meant when she said when you found the right man, even the simplest touch of his hand on your skin would make you burn.

And oh how she was...

Archie shrugged out of his suit jacket . . . it was suddenly hot in there and he wondered if Rumple had the heat on. He placed it over a chair in the kitchen and said, "Umm . . . so, would you like a glass of wine? Rumple bought something called . . err . . .Moscato D'oro. He said it's very refreshing. And, uh . . . look . . . a cheese and fruit plate . . ." He pulled the wine and the food out of the fridge, thinking he was babbling like an idiot, the way he always did when he was nervous. He was amazed his palms weren't sweating . . .he felt like he was roasting every time he glanced at her. He resolutely told his runaway libido to knock it off.

_Slow down, Marie. He's not Gaston, looking for a quick roll in the hay. You want him to LOVE you not just want to sleep with you!_

"Wine...sounds good..."

Archie poured two glasses of the golden colored wine made from the sweet Moscato grapes imported from Italy. He handed a glass to her and they sat in the kitchen and sipped it and ate the different cheeses and grapes, melon, and strawberries on the platter.

"At least I don't have to worry about this fruit being spiked with vodka," Marie mused as she munched on a strawberry.

Archie didn't know if he ought to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Here he was, with a gorgeous woman in a knockout dress, eating fruit and cheese and drinking wine, alone in a kitchen that could have come out of House Beautiful and the gorgeous woman in question was the same one he'd fallen hopelessly in love with almost from the moment they met.

"I keep forgetting you're not just here to...counsel me..." Now that she was opening up to him more about her past, she relied on his advice more than anyone else's because he was a professional.

"No . . .I would never do that," he assured her. "Men who do such things are desperate . . .and indecent." He popped a grape into his mouth. "And we can talk about whatever you want . . .free of charge." He sipped his wine. "Rumple was right . . . this is wonderful. The man does have good taste."

Then it came out. "If they pressed the issue...would you have gone to the dance without me?"

She needed to know that he wouldn't have backed down.

That she was worth it.

"No. Because . . .I won't be a party to anyone thinking you're not good enough to be around," he said emphatically. "I know the truth . . .and people need to open their eyes and see it too. ALL of us, every one, have things they've done or been, that they're ashamed of, that they try to hide-the one with the most being Regina herself-and yet in the dark of night, they cannot hide from themselves . . . and it scares them. So they point fingers at others, to cover up, and that's what they were doing with you! My gods, they employ a teacher who's a stripper! Do they think I'm stupid? I know what goes on in this town. And I know who's a good person . . . and who's not. And you are a good person, Marie."

"Y…You think so?" she was close to tears.

He closed a hand over hers. "I don't think so . . . I KNOW. Like your sister, you're a fighter, you got dealt a crummy hand, my dear, but instead of weeping and moaning over it, you played the hand you were dealt . . .and that's what counts. I don't see . . . a fallen woman when I look at you . . . I see a brave woman who was hurt and abused . . .and who did what she had to in order to survive . . .and if I had that . . . bastard Gaston here right now I'd . . . I'd punch him out!"

That was exactly what she was afraid he saw her as...a fallen woman as most people did. And that he would put himself at risk for being beaten within an inch of his life...over her...

"He's not worth a broken hand."

"Or a trip to the hospital, which is where I'd be most likely," he chuckled. "I'm not exactly the fighting man type . . .though I do like to watch John Wayne and Errol Flynn."

She smiled. "So do I...my favorite is McLintock...his wife reminds me of myself..."

"Yes. . .you're a fiery thing . . . though I promise I won't try and tame you . . .or spank you either . . ."

"Maybe I want you to tame me..." she murmured then clapped her hand over her mouth.

"But I always laughed at the part with the mud fight . . .and . . .you do?" his eyes widened.

"I...yes..." she admitted.

She was jumping from the frying pan into the fire, but she no longer cared. She was tired of being unsure of herself and wanted to take a chance.

She remembered something Belle used to quote often before she was reunited with her true love. It was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

Archie saw the moment when she looked at him as not just a therapist, someone safe to talk to, but as a man she desired. And before he lost his nerve he lowered his head and kissed her.

And their kiss was everything he dreamed it would be. Months ago in the diner he'd seen her sister and Rumple kiss each other, wanting it to be HIM kissing Marie and having her finally look at him and not see a friend or a therapist but a lover.

Unlike the other men who kissed her, making her skin crawl, Archie's kisses left her tingling from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

Her arms reached for him and pulled him closer, not wanting to let go.

It was still too soon but she didn't care. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man, wanted him to be the father her daughter deserved and even if the gods willed it...they would have another child.

_True love always finds a way, Marie_, Belle said to her that evening when her daughter and Andi were busy talking to each other.

_You could get burned Marie. Do you really want that?_

_I won't...not this time._

She could almost hear the other women at the Foxtrot laughing at her, especially that bitch Zelena. She knew Marie spent a lot of time with Archie and made it a point to taunt her.

_"You're really desperate if you're getting hot and bothered over a shrink. He'd probably psychoanalyze you during sex."_

Oh how she wanted to go on a witch hunt...but for the moment...being in Archie's arms was enough for her.

"W...Where have you been all my life?" she murmured when he lifted his lips from hers...a bit reluctantly she noticed.

"Nowhere I wanted to be," he said sadly.

"You know where I've been..."

"And it doesn't matter to me. How many times do I have to say it for you to believe it?" he inquired gently.

"Maybe a few more..."

"I'd rather show you..." he whispered and kissed her again. _Show her how you feel, don__'__t just tell her. _

"Maybe we should...go in the living room...?" she suggested.

He smiled and helped her to her feet.

No sooner were they seated on the sofa that they were in each other's arms again, kissing like their lives depended on it.

They might have gone further, but the sound of many sirens echoed through the tranquil night, splitting the air with their screeching warning.

"Gisella!" Marie cried worriedly.

Every time she heard a siren go off when she was away from her daughter she worried something happened to her.

She reached for her purse only to find she didn't have it!

"Archie...my purse...I have to find it and call Gisella...do you remember where...?"

"Uh . . . did you leave it in the car?"

"I don't know...I'll go look."

She jumped off the sofa and ran out to the car, dismayed when it was nowhere in sight.

The therapist frowned. So many sirens at once . . . in a town like sleepy Storybrooke . . . it boded something bad had happened. Very bad.

"Please tell me you have your phone!" she pleaded.

"I . . . yes . . .it's in my jacket pocket." he went and grabbed it and handed it to her. "Damn! It's dying . . .sorry I must have forgotten to charge it. You can probably make one call."

"Thank you." She punched in her father's number. "Papa, its Marie? Is Gisella all right?'

"We're fine, honey."

"We hear the sirens going off...what's going on?"

"Fire...at school..." Maurice's voice broke up.

"What?!" Marie screamed.

"Fire at the school Can't get hold of Belle!" The phone went dead.

"Oh my God!"

Marie sank back down onto the sofa in tears.

"Darling, what's happened? Is it Gisella?" asked Archie, concerned.

"No...it's Belle...Rumple and the kids...there's a fire at the school!" she sobbed.

Archie was horrified. "Okay . . . look, we'll go back to Gold's house and get your phone, you can call them, and if you can't get Belle on her cell or Rumple on his . . . we'll go over there and see what's going on." He grabbed his keys.

"All...just hurry!" she begged.

They locked up the house after cleaning up in the kitchen, and then drove hell for leather back to Gold's Victorian. Luckily, the extra key ring which had the key to the cabin on it also had an extra key to the Victorian as well.

Marie was terrified. She couldn't lose her family...not now.

Major leaped up as the key turned in the lock, barking sharply, before he recognized Marie and Archie. The shepherd stopped growling and wagged his tail as they entered.

Marie spotted her purse on the coffee table and picked it up. To her horror her phone was dead too.

"Dammit!" she cursed.

"Use their cordless," Archie suggested.

She grabbed the cordless phone and called Belle's cellphone. After several rings she answered.

"Hello?"

"Belle, thank GOD...are you all right?'

"Yes...and so are Andi and Bae but Rumple is drained."

"Are you still at the school?"

"Yes...Marie can you come pick us up...?"

"We can I don't want you driving and everyone won't fit in that antique car of his if Rumple is asleep stretched out in the backseat."

"Thank God he didn't hear you call it that..."

"He can yell at me later."

"You tell her not to worry, the cavalry's a'coming!" Archie said stoutly. "Let's go. You can drive my car and I'll drive Mr. Gold's Cadillac." Truth was he'd been itching to get behind the wheel of that vintage classic for a long time now . . . he loved old cars.

Marie covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "Rumple is drained...passed out..."

"Don't worry, I can help Bae get him upstairs . . .thank God he's not a big man . . . or a heavy one . . ." Archie said.

"We'll have to pick up his hellpasser in the morning."

"No, I can drive it and him back here," Archie assured her. "You can handle my old Chevy."

"Okay. Sit tight Belle, we're on our way!" Marie grabbed her purse and they got in the car. Archie was sure he'd broken a few speed limits to get there but he didn't give a damn. Rumple and Belle were his friends…and family to Marie.

"Belle!" Marie ran toward her, Archie behind her.

"We've come to take you home," Archie said, looking down at Gold in concern. "Where's his car keys?"

Belle reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved them.

"Rumple...sweetheart...we're going home..."

" . . . Belle . . .where's Bae . . .?" he said groggily.

"He's right here…"

The sorcerer blinked his unnaturally heavy eyelids. "Bae . . .help me up?" he requested softly. "Tired . . ." That was an understatement, he thought. He felt weary to his bones and like his limbs were coated with cement.

It was an effort to remain awake, sleep was calling him with its irresistible siren call, beckoning him back into darkness.

"Darling...get some sleep..."

"Dearie . . . how canna I sleep . . . I need to get up an' walk to the car . . ." he muttered. "Bae . . ."

"We've got you," Archie said. "Come on, Bae...help me out."

Bae came and wrapped his father's arm around his shoulder and his own about Rumple's waist. "C'mon, Papa. I've got you." He half pulled his parent to his feet, thanking the gods he was stronger than he looked, and his father wasn't all that big.

"You okay with him, Bae?"

"I'm good," he assured the therapist.

Archie got Gold's other side, allowing the sorcerer to lean on him as the three made their way to the car. "Okay, Rumple, you can sleep now," he said, helping the pawnbroker into the backseat.

Belle got in beside him, placing his head in her lap.

"Okay, you two, I'm gonna drive." Archie said. "Bae, you want to ride shotgun or go with Marie?"

"I'll go with Marie, Doctor Hopper. Ummm…Marie, would you excuse me a minute." Marie noticed that he was looking at Andi. She smiled.

"Go on," she said softly. When he returned, he looked lost without his love. She knew the feeling…now. "Andi is a nice girl Bae," she said.

"She's great Aunt Marie and everything was going great until those dipshits Eti and Vannah tried to kill us all. It had to be them."

"Your father will make sure they don't get away with it, don't you worry."

A few moments later, both cars arrived at the Victorian.

Gisella ran to greet them with Major at her heels.

"Hey, imp!" Bae greeted his cousin when he got out of Archie's car.

"You okay, Bae! We saw on the news you crawled outta window like Spiderman!"

"Uh yeah . . . I had to . . .and I'm okay . . .just my hands are little scraped." He showed her the minor rope burns on both hands.

Major licked his hands, whining.

"Ewwww!"

"No big deal," he laughed. "I'll heal. Papa's worse off than I am."

"What's wrong with Uncle Rumple?" she asked worriedly.

"He's just exhausted, Gisella. He used too much magic trying to get everybody outta the building, like the whole kindergarten class. But he'll be okay after a few days with rest."

He wondered how they were going to get his father up the stairs and into bed.

"Bae...does your father have anything magical that we can use to get him upstairs because I don't think Belle will want him to sleep on the couch?" Archie was asking.

Bae thought for a moment. Then he recalled the winged cloak. It had been an experiment of Rumple's back in the Dark Castle, an attempt to fly without growing wings or transforming, back before he'd met Belle. He recalled his father showing it to him soon after the Dark Curse had broken. It could help a person fly short distances.

"Um . . . yeah, he's got his winged cloak. I'll get it." He dashed inside to his father's study, and found the soft black velvet cloak in the closet. He picked it up and brought it back downstairs.

"His...what?"

By then Archie and Moe had gotten Rumple sitting up, lolling actually supported by Belle, and Bae put the cloak on him. "It's a winged cloak. You can fly short distances with it. If you command it right." As soon as the cloak was around Rumple, it transformed into a pair of big wings, like a raven's, and Bae said, "Fly to Rumplestiltskin's bedroom!"

The magical wings flew the comatose wizard into the house and up the stairs and into the bedroom.

When Belle didn't return downstairs after a time, Marie went up to check on her.

She discovered her sister asleep with her head on her husband's chest.

"Where's Aunt Belle?" Gisella asked when she returned to the living room.

"She's tired too honey...remember how I said she and Uncle Rumple have a bond?"

"Uh-huh...kinda like twins where if one gets sick so does the other?"

"Kinda like that," Bae agreed. He yawned. The night's events were catching up to him.

"Bae, do you think your father will mind if we stay here to be sure you're all okay?" Marie asked.

Moe saw and quickly bid his two grandchildren, daughter, and Archie goodnight, saying he'd call tomorrow to see how everyone was.

"Nah. He's passed out cold . . . he wouldn't know if I threw a party and invited all my friends," Bae laughed.

"Well, I don't want him killing me," Marie pleaded.

"Only kidding. You don't wanna know how much trouble I'd be in if I did that," he grinned.

"Oh off to bed with you!"

Her nephew gave her a mock salute before heading upstairs, taking a moment to doctor his hands before going to bed.

"Now it's time for you to go sleep, Sella."

"Can I sleep with Major, Mommy?" she pointed to the shepherd, who was lying on the floor in the kitchen.

"Not on the floor!"

"Nooo . . . in my bed," she pointed to the stairs . . . where she knew there were bedrooms.

"All right."

"Yippee! C'mon, Major! Bedtime!"

The shepherd trotted upstairs with her, like a huge gold and black wolf.

"I had a wonderful time..." Marie said to Archie once they were alone again.

"Me too . . . even if we did get interrupted there . . ." He took her hand and kissed it, the way a gentleman did to a fine lady. "Would you like to do this again sometime?"

A part of her wanted him to stay.

Not in her room...but close by.

"It's a long drive home..."

"I know, but . . . I have to let Pongo out . . .and I need to go into the office early tomorrow, I'm sure there'll be dozens of phone calls for me after what happened last night. Umm . . .if you want, we could make another date, for this weekend. And if you want to work for me . . .we could discuss that too tomorrow."

"Yes..."

"Then I'll say au revoir, my darling," he crooned, and he kissed her gently. "Until tomorrow."

"I can't wait..."

He wished he didn't have to leave, but he knew better than to stay . . .it wasn't proper, and he wanted to treat her like the lady she was. He handed her the Golds' keys.

She watched him leave; feeling like part of her was walking out with him. It wouldn't be long until they saw each other again but dammit, it felt like an eternity to her.

She'd just gotten settled into bed when her phone rang. A smile came to her lips when she picked it up and saw Archie's name on the display.

"Hello?"

"Did I wake you?" he inquired softly.

"Oh, no…I was just settling in."

"I…ummm…forgot to ask you where you want to meet for lunch tomorrow."

"Anywhere will be fine….but you know people will talk…"

"Let them. I was thinking we could go to Ratatouille. Have you ever been there?"

"No, but I've heard the food is good."

"I'll pick you up around eleven-thirty…does that sound good?"

"It's fine."

On the other end of the line Archie took a deep breath. There was one more thing he wanted to say, wanted to say for weeks but his courage always faltered when he came close to doing so. Then he thought about their date and how far they'd come in just one night. He could still feel her arms around him and taste her kisses on his lips. Had they not been interrupted he wasn't sure how far things would have gone, but not THAT far. It was too soon and he had more respect for her than that…and he still wanted to wait until they were married. He DID want to marry her but he wanted to wait until the time was right to ask…they'd only just gone out on their first official date.

"Marie…"

"Yes…?"

"I love you," he murmured. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders but what would she say? He waited with baited breath for her response.

On the other end of the line, tears were streaming down Marie's cheeks. How many times had she heard that before only to have it not mean anything? Too many to count…but this time…coming from this man…she knew it was true…and spoken from his heart.

"I love you too, Archie," she whispered.

"Good night, darling."

"Good night, Archie."

She fell back onto her mattress, crying and laughing at the same time. "He loves me…._he loves me!__"_

Over at his apartment, Archie was sitting up in bed with his cell phone still in his hand and a wide smile on his lips.

_She loves me__…_

Pongo cocked his head and barked softly.

"She loves me Pongo," he murmured. He felt like throwing his window open and shouting it from the rooftops but instead he would do the next best thing…go out in public with her on his arm and be damned proud to do so!


	7. Once In A Lifetime

7

~ Once In a Lifetime ~

_You were there for me_

_I was there for you_

_We were meant to be_

_Now we're fallin' in love_

_Finally fallin' in love… _

Chicago – Once In a Lifetime

The Enchanted Forest

Years earlier…

"Rise and shine, my lady! It's another beautiful day…" Jiminy whispered in Marie's ear as he flew above her. She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow. "Come on, Marie! Today's not a day for sleeping in. It's a day to be out in the fresh air and sun."

"Oh, all right," she mumbled and sat up. "Do you always get up this early?"

"Always."

"Well you can't stay in here while I get dressed! Now shoo…out in the hall with you!" she cried and waved him away.

"What kind of cricket do you take me for? I don't peek in at women while they're dressing. It's indecent!" He shook his head and flew out into the hall, using one of the statues as his perch while he waited for her.

Belle came down the hall sweeping the floor and stopped when she saw him. "Good morning Jiminy," she greeted. "What are you doing out here?"

"Marie is dressing and a bit cross with me since I woke her up early."

Belle giggled. "I forgot to warn you about that. She doesn't like to get up any earlier than eight."

"All right, come on you crazy insect. You've gotten me up, now what do you want to do?" Marie asked when she came out of the room. The worst of her illness was over but Rumple advised her that if she did go outside, she was not to be out there long or she risked another relapse as she had the day Charming showed up and she and Belle chased him out of the castle with the broom.

"Are you going to be cross with me all morning?" he demanded. "It doesn't become you."

Truth be told, she didn't like staying angry with him now. She spent most of the week in bed sick, miserable and missing her daughter terribly but he was always finding ways to bring a smile to her face with his stories about the Charmings and little adventures he had with his friend Geppetto.

She patted her shoulder and he flew onto it then she took him out to the gardens, loving the scent of the red roses that bloomed there. Jiminy flew off her shoulder and down to the roses and took one off the vine by biting into it. It fell on the bench beside her.

"Jiminy….that's so sweet of you…thank you," she said softly as she picked it up and sniffed it.

"Now that's the smile I was looking for."

She laughed. "You won't let me be unhappy for a moment, will you?"

"No."

"Why?"

_Because you're even more beautiful when you smile and if I were human again I'd bring you a dozen roses every day just so I could see you smile. _

"You deserve to be happy, Marie…that's all," he said shyly.

_But you're not human and you can't be, not right now. It's too dangerous. Any day now Cora will cast her curse and take you all away…and the only way you can protect yourself and her is to stay as you are and try not to get too close. _

They had to try to get into Cora's vault one more time. Too much was at stake now to let the curse be cast and once again he was willing to die to stop it if that was what it took. _She _was worth dying for.

"I have my daughter, my family and a few friends….what more do I need?"

_You need a man who will love you more than anything else in the world. I can be that for you. I want to be that for you! And I know I'll love your daughter too if I get to meet her! _

"You don't think you need anything else? What about love?"

"Love's for everyone else…not me," she said sadly. "I thought I was in love once…but he died."

"You can love again. You just have to believe in it, in yourself."

_And in me. _

"No, Jiminy…love's not for me. It never will be."

"What if someone proved to you it would be? Would you take the chance?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I think that's what is missing in your life…a man to love you…and a father for your daughter."

Now why can't a MAN treat me like this? Marie thought bitterly. She despised insects yet this one acted like he was still a human being and if he were one she could even fall in love with him. Could it be possible HE was the man she would meet in the new land? No, it was too much to hope for.

"Well I won't find him here…if I ever will so there's no sense thinking about it!" she cried.

His face fell. "What do you mean?"

"Rumple….he said in another land I would find a man who would love me and Gisella….but it's too much to hope for," she sobbed.

"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Jiminy asked and took flight. He flew into the open window of Rumple's lab and perched himself on the table, glaring at the sorcerer. "What kind of game are you playing, Rumplestiltskin?" he demanded angrily.

"Whatever do you mean dearie?"

"You know exactly what I mean! Are you enjoying this…watching me get my heart broken and dashing Marie's hopes when I've never felt this way before in my life and she's been so disappointed by love?"

"Jiminy, what has you so upset?"

"Did you or did you not tell Marie she would meet her true love in another land?"

"It's what I've Seen Jiminy." He set a Seeing Globe on the table and concentrated, letting his vision appear in it. "That man is Marie's true love. Recognize him, dearie?"

Jiminy peered into the globe feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. "It's me…." he whispered. "I'm…older than I was before I was changed…but it's me!"

"I had no doubt of it, cricket. But the course of true love never does run smooth…and there will be many challenges you'll face in this new land."

"I don't care. I'd walk through fire for her if I had to!"

"It may not come to that but I See good times and bad ones ahead for you. You'll have to fight hard for your happy ending…maybe the hardest of all of us because of your interference in Cora's curse."

Rumple glanced down at the scar on the cricket's back where one of his wings had been badly burned after a failed break in attempt at Cora's vault. Rumple tried to repair the damage as best he could but the scar remained and he could not fly for long distances without needing to rest.

"I don't care. She's worth it to me," Jiminy insisted.

Rumple smiled. "So…if Fate is kind, someday we'll be family."

"I'd like that. If you'll excuse me, I'll go see if Marie is all right."

"Go on. Cherish what time you have. It will not be long now…"

_Not if I have anything to say about it, _Jiminy thought. It was risky, but he was going to try to convince Regina to break into the vault one last time. If they could stop the first curse, the second one would fail as well.

As he flew down the hall, he noticed that the door to her bedroom was ajar. When he entered he saw her standing in front of the uncovered mirror.

"Marie! No!" he cried. "Cover it!"

"Jiminy, it's just a mirror."

"No…you don't understand…SHE spies through mirrors. You've got to cover it!"

They heard laughter on the other side of the glass. "So cricket…I've found your weakness after all."

Cora's image appeared in the glass. Marie backed away in fear. "RUMPLESTILTSKIN!" she screamed.

"Stay away from her!" Jiminy snarled.

"If I cannot crush YOUR heart, I'll crush HERS!" The Queen Mother smiled evilly as several vines came out of the glass and wrapped themselves around Marie and lifted her off the floor. Jiminy flew over to her and was knocked to the floor by one of the vines.

"Jiminy, help me!" Marie pleaded, the vines squeezing her tight, making it difficult to breathe.

"Let her go!" Jiminy hissed as he struggled to get up. Another vine pinned him to the floor.

"I don't think so, dearie!" Rumple hissed from the doorway and threw an energy ball at the mirror, shattering it. The vines vanished and Marie fell to the floor beside the cricket.

"What did I do?" Marie sobbed.

"It's all right, you didn't know…" Jiminy soothed.

"Marie!" Belle cried and ran into the room, seeing her sister on the floor bleeding from where the thorny vines cut into her skin. "What happened?"

"I….uncovered one of the mirrors…and the Queen Mother….attacked me!"

"Why?"

"It's my fault….she hurt her because of me!" Jiminy moaned.

"No…not your fault…you told me to cover the mirror up and I didn't listen…"

"Come on, dearie, let's get you into bed." Rumple said gently and picked her up, laying her down. He waved his hand over her arms and her cuts were healed.

"I'm fine…"

"No you're not. You've had a terrifying ordeal and need to sleep. We'll wake you later. Come on, Jiminy."

"Can't you stay?" she asked, taking the cricket by surprise.

"Marie, it's not proper for me to…"

"I'd feel safer if you were here," she insisted. "Just to watch over me."

Rumple and Belle looked at each other and smiled. Then the sorcerer waved his hand and a small bed appeared on the nightstand. "That should be comfortable enough for you Jiminy but if it isn't let me know."

"It's fine and your son made me a bed I was quite comfortable in too."

"Well you can use that one to nap downstairs then."

"Call us if you need anything," Belle said softly and closed the door behind them.

"I'm sorry, Marie."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"You were attacked because of me."

"And I told you I'm the one at fault. I uncovered the mirror and I should not have." She patted the empty space on her pillow. He hopped onto it. It was then that she noticed the scar on his back. "W…What happened to you?"

"Cora…she attacked me after we tried to break into her vault to steal back Regina's fiancé's heart."

"Regina…she helped you with this?"

"Yes. She is not as evil as everyone believes but as long as Cora holds her fiancé and her father hostage, she will have a much more difficult time holding onto her humanity. If she loses it completely, it will not bode well for any of us."

She felt horrible for poking fun at him when he first came to the castle. "You have trouble flying because of what she did, don't you?"

He nodded. "I have to stop and rest more often than before."

"I was awful to you the day we met," she said regretfully.

"You didn't know. It's not something I talk about often."

"There's a lot you don't talk about. You made me comfortable enough to talk to you about things I don't to anyone but Belle but you don't share much about yourself."

He sighed. "There isn't much I enjoyed about my life before I became a cricket. My parents were…thieves and con artists and they taught me all their tricks. I wanted to do something else it's just I never had the courage to leave. Instead I sought out a magician by the name of Magnus…who was an even better con artist. He told me what he gave me was a sleeping potion…it was a transformation potion. My parents were going to Geppetto's house to pull a con on them and…they switched the placebo they had for the potion I had…and Geppetto's parents were turned into dolls!"

Marie gasped. "What did you do?"

"I was horrified….I called on the Blue Fairy for help and she said there was nothing she could do. She suggested I make amends by helping Geppetto through his life…and I chose to do so as a cricket because we both loved to sit out and listen to them. Rumple told me it was possible had Geppetto kissed his parents with true love's kiss, they could've changed back."

"So you've spent all this time as a cricket when a simple kiss could have fixed the problem?" Marie asked angrily. "You've made other peoples' lives better yet denied yourself a chance at happiness. Don't you think you deserve it?"

_I didn't have a reason to…until now. _

"Helping people does make me happy."

"What about love?" she asked. "If you were human again, would you want that? A family of your own?"

_The only family I could ever want is the one we would build together. You, me, your daughter and any other children we would have. _

It was what he wanted to say but lacked the courage to for fear she would laugh. He was after all, still a cricket.

"That would be possible if I were human again but with this curse coming….Rumple feels it's safer to stay as I am."

"Maybe…if we see each other again in this new land….we'll both have the happiness we want…"

Now more than ever, Jiminy was determined to stop those curses from destroying all their lives.

His heart ached the day she left. He sat on one of the statues, saying nothing as she bid her farewells to her family, thinking it was best if they parted in silence but he'd forgotten how feisty she was.

"Weren't you going to say goodbye?"

"Not goodbye, fair lady. But . .. until we meet again. Because someday . . . I think we will."

"You've been a wonderful friend to me, Jiminy..."

"You too, Marie . . ."

She gave him a smile and stepped into the waiting coach.

"I must be going now too," he said sadly.

"You _will_ see her again, Jiminy." Belle vowed.

"Yes, I believe I will."

He would see to it.

Though he had to stop and rest several times, he reached Regina's castle before nightfall. The queen was shocked to see him. She grabbed him, placed him on her shoulder and teleported to the woods so that their conversation couldn't be heard.

"We have to try to get into that vault one more time," he said firmly.

"Jiminy, it's too dangerous! Look what she did to you the last time we tried. And now that she knows about your Marie, she will use her against you."

"I can't give up…WE can't give up! Not now. Not when there's too much at stake. Regina, please…I love her…I can't bear the thought of living a life without her!"

"Is she worth dying for because that is what will happen if we're caught."

"YES!"

"I'm sorry Jiminy…I can't…all I can do is give you your best chance." Her hands sparkled with magic. The cricket felt himself floating in the air.

"Regina, don't do this!"

"I have to! You'll find her again, Jiminy, I promise you will."

"You have to stop this! You're the only one who can now!"

"I wish I was strong enough to stop it…I'm just not…" sobbed the queen. Then she stood up. "A pure spirit that knows true love can break any curse….the Dark Curse is meant for the savior to break but the Curse of the Broken Hearted…_you _can break. You're the only one who can now."

"What do you mean?"

"Find Marie in the new land! Once you bind yourself to her heart and soul in marriage…you'll be free…we all will…" she said through her tears. "Goodbye Jiminy…and thank you for being my friend…even if it was for a brief time."

"Regina, don't let her destroy you!"

She already suspected it was too late for her. But she had one last card to play. Her mother was not going to the new land with her.

Jiminy landed beside a lake in the Infinite Forest. He knew there was no way to escape it other than magic. He flew onto a tree stump and sat down. Then he felt something cold brush against his back and turned around to find a Dalmatian standing behind him.

_Why so sad, Jiminy Cricket? _it asked him.

"How do you know who I am?"

_Everything in this realm knows who you are…and what you used to be. _

"Then you know what troubles me. We're all going to be taken away from this land…away from those we love because of Cora and her curse. I was banished here because I wanted to stop it. Why are you here?"

The dog snorted. _I wanted to be a companion for the queen but the Queen Mother didn't approve. The queen sent me here for my safety. My name is Pongo. _

"I'm sorry, Pongo."

The dog sat down and rested its head on its paws. _It's all right. At least I know I won't be alone once this damn curse hits. _

It was a small comfort for both of them.

The present

Even while she was fighting a constant battle to keep her husband in bed until he recovered his strength, Belle pulled her sister into the living room to ask her how her date went.

"Oh Belle it was wonderful! He was wonderful!" Marie said softly.

"Now some things that I saw and heard prior to this are starting to make sense. The night the first curse was broken I met up with you to talk to you and you were holding a pair of glasses like a security blanket, the same glasses Archie wears and he was the one that mob threatened to tie to a tree but he made sure you got home safely first."

"Yes."

"How long before that did you actually meet him?"

"I'm not sure. The dwarves dragged him to the club to try to get him to go out more but he wasn't comfortable and was probably ready to bolt out the door when Zelena had her silicone specials in his face."

Belle cringed. "That bitch! Can't leave OUR men alone, can she?"

"She makes fun of him but Sella has thrown water on her twice hoping it would melt her. Unfortunately it doesn't work."

"Damn…but enough about her. I want to know everything about last night!"

"I don't know how to describe it Belle! He was so sweet and kind, like he always is…but last night…he was a bit more…passionate…and when he touched me...I could have incinerated on the spot. Now, it was just his hand on my cheek and my shoulder, simple gestures but they meant so much."

"Sometimes that's all it takes."

"But it wasn't just how he touched me that made my heart pound Belle; it was the things he said too. Like that line from Romeo and Juliet about how I teach the torches to burn bright…_me?_ Then he said he didn't see me as a ruined woman and were that coming from any other man, I would've scoffed at it but not him. And he said he would have beaten up Gaston for me even though that brute is twice his size. But I suppose we were still a bit hesitant to let how we truly felt about each other known until…"

"Until _what_? Don't you leave me hanging, Marie Bordreaux!"

"We were discussing the movie McLintock….his favorite actor is John Wayne and I said how much I liked the wife in it. He said I was a fiery thing and that he wouldn't spank me or try to tame me…"

"_And..?_"

"I said maybe I wanted him to and….he kissed me!"

"I knew it!" Belle cried happily and hugged her.

"Belle, if I'd known he could kiss like that…I would have had him do it months ago. My gods…where has he been all my life? I even asked him that and he said nowhere he wanted to be. He doesn't talk much about his life before he became a cricket so I'm assuming it wasn't pleasant."

"It wasn't but I'll leave that up to him to tell you. So he kissed you …once?"

"No…four times. Once in the kitchen, once in the living room…until the sirens went off, once on my hand and once on the lips again before he left last night."

"Marie I am so happy for you! How many times did I tell you that a relationship with this 'friend' of yours was just what you needed? Look at you! You're practically glowing and that's just from one date and with a man you've been head over heels in love with for months! And don't sit there and tell me you're not in love with him because I know you."

"Last night…after he went home…he called me. He forgot to ask me where I wanted to meet for lunch today to discuss being his office manager."

Belle smirked. "Oh, of _course_ that was the main reason! Well, where does he want to go?"

"Ratatouille."

"That's the finest restaurant in town run by Anton Ego…remember how he used to be the town's food critic until Granny got him fired from The Mirror for a rather nasty review he gave on one of her dishes? The chef he hired is someone named Remy but no one ever sees him. They do, however think he is the best gourmet cook in Storybrooke but I think Rumple could put him to shame."

_So could Archie, _Marie thought. "I'm a bit nervous about how people will react seeing us together in public but he's not. I don't want to ruin his reputation which was why it took us so long to finally have a date instead of meeting as friends."

Belle grinned. "I will warn you: if he shows up at Ratatouille looking as handsome as he did last night, you'd better invest in a broom to beat the women off, Marie. Even I was astounded by how different he looked!"

"Oh I will and before he said good night….he told me he _loved _me."

"If you let him say that and just sat there like a lump on a log, Marie Bordreaux I am taking the broom to you!"

"No…hearing him say it made me brave enough to say it. I love him, Belle and oh you have no idea what I was thinking all night during our date! I want to spend the rest of my life with him…how I want him to be the father Sella wants…and maybe have a baby of our own…"

"Now you have the chance to make that come true, Marie. Don't let it go."

"I don't want to, Belle but I'm afraid something will come along and ruin it."

_Like Gaston. _

He wasn't coming around again; making her suspect he had a new girlfriend. She felt sorry for the poor woman, whoever she was and wondered if she lived in fear of him sometimes too.

"Don't let anything come between you, Marie," Belle advised. "You remember what happened when Zelena came to the castle. She almost drove a wedge between Rumple and me and he finally realized he wanted to be with me after she poisoned me. Archie loves you enough that he's willing to fight for you and if you love him enough, you'll fight for him too."

Marie hugged her. "I will. Now….I have no idea what to wear on this date."

"Come on. We'll find something in my closet. I won't be able to fit into half of it for a while anyway."

"…How do they feel?"

Archie squinted. "Odd...very odd but at least I don't have to worry about them sliding down my nose all the time."

His new contact lenses didn't just make him _feel_ different…he _looked _different. He stood in front of the mirror in his optometrist's office, barely recognizing the man staring back at him and he didn't mind at all. Though he looked different on the outside, he was still the same inside. That would never change and now he had the chance to have the family he always wanted. It wasn't going to be easy but he wouldn't give up. The scar on his back was proof enough that he was willing to fight to the death for something he believed in.

"If you experience any changes in your eyesight let me know and we'll change your prescription."

"I will. Thank you, Doctor."

He pulled into the Gold's driveway shortly after eleven. He knocked on the door once before Gisella opened it. "Hi Archie!" she cried. "You're not wearin' your glasses anymore!"

"No, Princess I'm not."

"You get those things ya put in your eyeballs?"

He chuckled. "They're contacts, Sella and yes, I got those to help me see."

"Good cause you leave your glasses layin around when you fall asleep at our house. I almost stepped on 'em once."

"Oh, so have I. Where's your mommy?"

"Getting herself all pretty for you with Auntie Belle," the child said with a grin. "You wanna watch Barney with me til she comes down?"

_She doesn't need to, _he thought. _She'll always be beautiful to me even when we're both older with a head full of gray hair and wrinkles. _

"All right." He couldn't help remembering how Rumple compared one of the ties he picked out at the shop the other day to the dinosaur's tail. He knew nothing about the show and asked Gisella to explain who the characters were and what it was about.

"You watch this a lot?"

"Uh-huh. I learn some stuff from it too. Archie, if you're dating Mommy, that make you my daddy now?"

_I wish it did, _he thought. "The only way I could be your daddy is to marry your mommy."

"So why don'cha marry her?"

"Princess, real life isn't like in the fairy tales. I love your mommy very much, don't get me wrong, and I would like to marry her but we need to spend a little more time alone getting to know each other better first. That's what dating is," he explained.

"So I gotta do that if I want to get married?" she asked.

_Hopefully not for a LONG time and any boy who wants to date MY daughter better be ready to prove he's worthy of her or else he won't coming within a mile of her! _

"Yes, but you're too little to be thinking about that now."

"Yeah but I'm not too little to be thinkin about replacin my bad daddy with you cause you do everything a good daddy's 'sposta do!"

He hugged her. "I don't know all that much about being one…but I try…" he murmured.

Neither of them was aware Belle was listening to their conversation as she loaded a tray with items to take up to Rumple while he stayed in bed, a wide smiled on her lips. She agreed whole heartedly with her niece, Archie was the kind of father Gisella needed…and the kind of man her sister needed. She marched up the stairs to share the good news with her husband. Operation True Love was going well.

Marie glanced at the clock on her nightstand and panicked. It was almost eleven-thirty and she didn't have her shoes on yet! She jumped off the bed and raced downstairs to the living room. Archie was sitting on the sofa with Gisella watching one of her Barney videos. Today he was wearing a grey Armani suit with a blue silk tie that was almost the same shade as his eyes with a pair of Gucci loafers but the biggest difference was that he was not wearing his glasses. Yet even with those few changes, he was still the same man she'd fallen in love with.

"Hi Mommy! Me n'Archie were watchin Barney."

"I see that…" Marie whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from her date.

The moment he saw her walk into the living room, he lost the capacity for words. She was as stunning in a white Chanel suit as she had been in her black gown the night before with her long brown hair in a twist.

"You look….wonderful…" he said softly.

"So do you."

He stood up and walked over to her, raising her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Shall we go, my lady?"

"Ummm…Mommy…you don't have your shoes on!" Gisella giggled, pointing to Marie's feet.

"I…oh!" she cried and looked down to see that she wasn't. "Archie, I'm so sorry…I'll go get them."

He chuckled. "That's something _I_ would do. It's fine, darling…they'll hold our table."

She raced up the stairs, her face scarlet and nearly knocked Bae over.

"Whoa! Where's the fire, Aunt Marie!" he joked.

"I cannot believe it…I almost went to lunch without my shoes on!" she cried and ran into the bedroom. The teenager laughed, shook his head and went downstairs, equally stunned when he saw Archie.

"Double whoa! Archie, where's your glasses…and you look like Papa dressed like that!"

"Well…your father gave me a bit of fashion advice…"

"And I'm pleased that you actually paid attention Hopper," Rumple said as he limped into the room. "Good combination with the suit and tie."

Bae scowled at him. "Papa, you're gonna get the broom to your butt if Mama catches you outta bed again!" he warned.

"I already know he's out of bed because I told him to be…just long enough to see Archie and Marie off," Belle said when she entered the living room with her sister at her side. "You two have a good time."

"Where are you taking her, Archie?" Rumple asked him.

"Ratatouille."

"Ah…Ego's place. Good choice. I'm planning on taking Belle there for the evening myself once the baby's born."

"I've got something even better. Let's do it some night…the four of us?" Belle suggested.

"That'll be fine with me," Archie said with a smile. "What do you think, Marie?"

"I'd like that."

"I'll bring her back sometime this afternoon."

"Better be before dark Hopper or I'll be waiting with the cane to beat your ass!" Rumple teased.

"Rumple! I'm a bit old for you to be beating my boyfriend up for bringing me home late!" Marie cried.

"Well since your father's not here, I'll be doing his job for him."

Marie rolled her eyes. "How do you put up with him, Belle?"

"I know how to soften him up," she replied with a smirk. "Now get going or they'll give your table away."

The couple gave Gisella a hug and kiss goodbye and drove into town.

Mouths dropped and heads turned the moment Archie stepped out of his car in the elegant restaurant's parking lot then opened the door for his companion. No one recognized the beautiful woman on his arm but one thing was for certain based on their body language, they were more than friends.

"Oh my God….is that _Doctor Hopper?" _Baroness De Varge exclaimed to her friend Solange.

"Yes it is…but who is that woman with him?"

"I don't know but my gods…I never knew he was so handsome….someone must've given him a makeover!"

"There's only one other man in town who dresses like that and it's Mr. Gold and if he gave him the makeover, there are lot of women in this town who will be thanking him."

"He won't look at any of us…not with her on his arm…she's beautiful!"

"That's Marie Bordreaux….Belle's half-sister," Kat explained as she walked past them with Becky.

"Why do _they_ always get the good ones!" Solange complained. The two teenagers laughed.

"Doctor Hopper, good afternoon! And this must be Mademioselle Bordeaux," the maître'd greeted the couple.

"Hello Linguine."

"Linguine…you're kidding, aren't you?" Marie asked him. "Is there a Collette and Remy the rat?"

"Yes, there is and Remy is one of the finest cooks in all the realms," Linguine boasted, escorting the couple to their table and handing them their menus. Several people were staring at them, whispering but they ignored it.

"Marie, I know you were Belle's lady-in-waiting but did you do anything here that would help you figure out how to manage my schedule?"

"I used to manage all of Belle's social appointments so yes."

"Well, once we get back to the office you can decide what you want to do."

She arched an eyebrow. "Do I still have a mess to clean up?"

"No…ahhh…Rumple fixed my filing cabinets."

His desk however, was still cluttered because he'd been looking for something earlier that morning and forgot to clean it up. He would do that while Marie decided where she wanted her desk to be.

The waitress brought over their orders but she was too occupied staring at Archie and his new look that she tripped and splattered garlic sauce all over the front of his suit.

"Oh my God! Doctor Hopper, I am so sorry!" she cried.

"Oh, it's all right," he said softly. "It was an accident."

Marie grinned behind her napkin. She would've done the same thing were they not dating.

"Jeanette, what have you done?" Anton Ego demanded coldly when he approached the table.

"It was an accident. Can happen to anyone," Archie said nonchalantly to diffuse the man's temper.

"I insist you send me the dry cleaning bill."

"No, no…I'll take care of it."

"I really am sorry," Jeannie whimpered.

"I know…don't worry yourself sick over it."

_Oh Gods….he could talk a woman out of her clothes if he put his mind to it… _Marie thought wickedly then blushed. _Why on earth am I thinking like that about him…he's not like those other men who enjoy doing that! Stop it, Marie! _

Fortunately there were no other incidents and they were able to enjoy the rest of their lunch in peace. They drove back to the office so that Archie could change and Marie wanted to get started organizing everything.

"I'll just be a few minutes," he said and went into the bathroom. He always kept a change of clothes in the office but his old ones were thrown out by Rumple along with ten trash bags filled with anything else the sorcerer didn't think he'd need.

"Archie!" Marie yelled.

"What?" he asked frantically when he emerged from the bathroom with his tie loose around his neck and he'd forgotten to button his shirt completely because he was worried something happened to her.

She was standing beside his desk with his notepad in her hands, scowling. "THIS is how you keep track of your appointments? On a notepad?"

"Umm…yes."

She slapped it down on his desk. "Not anymore. Are you maxed out on your credit?"

"No, why?"

"Because we're going shopping. If I'm going to work here as your office manager I want a better way to keep track of your appointments Doctor and a notepad isn't going to cut it!"

"Good God, Marie, the way you were carrying on like that I thought you'd fallen or something. Scared me half to death!"

"Well, the condition of this office scares me half to death. It's going to take me weeks to get it all straight!" She indicated the cluttered desk.

He threw up his hands. "I think I'm going to regret this! All right, let's get going."

"Like that?" She pointed to his shirt, the partial sight of his bare chest making her blush. She'd already seen a glimpse of his back when he showed everyone the horrible scar from Cora's attack.

_He's not the first man you've seen half undressed. Why is it making you so nervous? _

Unlike those other men who considered themselves God's gift to women, Archie was modest when it came to his physical appearance. It was a refreshing change. She so wanted this relationship to last because after all these years, she finally found the man who had everything she wanted.

"Oh! I'm sorry about that!" he turned his back and finished buttoning his shirt and fixed his tie, his own face a deep shade of crimson.

_Hopper! What are you doing, parading around half naked for? Do you want to give her the wrong impression? That's one way to do it. You're not like those other men who would thinking they could add another notch on their headboards. _

When they returned from their shopping trip he felt like he'd spent a fortune that would never be paid off in his lifetime and he felt like his ears were going to fall off from the sound scolding she'd given him. She had him purchase two laptops, one for her and one for him to use in the office, pagers, electronic organizers and all new furniture. The interior design firm would start remodeling the following morning. They spent the rest of the afternoon getting all of his appointments logged into both the computers and the organizers.

"Now what are you doing?" he asked when she was on the phone with someone. She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "I'm talking to the answering service."

"The what?"

"Answering service. Most doctors in private practice use one. Archie, you can't be in the office twenty-four hours a day and you need to have a bit more privacy when it comes to your patients."

"I do…I don't discuss their issues with others!"

"I don't mean it like that. I mean YOU need more privacy. If your patients need to reach you during the day they should be calling the office and after hours they can call the answering service and have you paged if it's an emergency."

"And how much is this going to cost me?" he demanded.

She handed him a printout the contract. "You can afford it…the payment comes out of your bank account in the middle of the month." She turned on his laptop and pulled up a spreadsheet. "You've built yourself up quite a nest egg over twenty-eight years, Doctor Hopper."

"You know what my life was like during the curse…didn't get out much…except with you and Geppetto…"

"Also have you looked at this or were you just going to ignore it?" She held up a piece of paper. "This is a letter dated weeks ago from two doctors from our land wanting to become part of your practice!"

"What?"

She scowled and handed it to him. "With all the patients you have you can use the help!"

He sat down in his recliner and read through the letter. "I suppose I should give them a call but there's not enough room in this office for three doctors, Marie. We'll have to renovate even more."

"Well if we knock down a few walls we can. I doubt Rumple would mind. In fact, he'd probably do it himself if it means avoiding you turning this place into a hoarder's paradise again." She pulled up a chair beside him while he called the number on the letter and turned on the speakerphone.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking with Doctor Harker? Doctor Mina Harker?"

"You are. May I ask who is calling?"

"Doctor Hopper. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond to your letter."

"Oh, that's all right. Jack and I figured you were busy since the first curse has been broken."

"Doctor Harker, how were you and your partner not affected by the curse?"

"We…ahhhh….left our land before it was cast but we found out about it from others who outran it. We agreed that once the curse was broken we'd find where everyone was sent and offer our services. It looks like you could use our help because you're the only psychologist in the town."

"He is….and he has more patients than time," Marie spoke up.

"Marie!" he cried.

Mina laughed. "You must be Mrs. Hopper."

_Not yet but maybe someday…_

"No, I'm his office manager…and his girlfriend." Marie answered.

Archie was relieved they were only on speakerphone so Mina Harker couldn't see him blushing.

"We can fly into town to meet with you tomorrow if that's all right with you, Doctor Hopper."

"That'll be fine. We're ahhh….having some remodeling done in the office so it'll be a bit noisy."

"Oh, we won't mind. Until tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow it is. We'll see you then."

She thought they were going to go back to his apartment when they left the office that day but to her surprise he turned down the road that led to the Foxtrot.

"Why are we going there?"

"So you can tell that poor excuse of a boss you have that you're not going back in person," he said.

Sly was coming out of his office when he saw her standing in the hallway with Archie beside her. "Where the hell have you been, Marie? Go get your ass changed. You have a show to do."

"No she doesn't," Archie spoke up. Several of the other dancers came out of their dressing rooms to see what was going on.

"You shut up, cricket. She works for me and when I tell her to do something, she does it! Move your ass, Electra!"

"I'm not doing anything you say anymore Sly. I quit!" she shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What're you gonna be _his_ little whore now?" Zelena sneered, pointing to Archie. Several other women were glaring at the couple, Ashley Boyd included.

"Of course YOU would think that, Zelena because that's what you are to him…and a few other men in this town!" Marie retorted.

"He's just using you to get a piece of ass, that's all" snarled Sly. "You'll be back!"

"I beg your pardon?" Archie asked angrily, his grip tightening on his umbrella. "Would you like to repeat that?"

_And then you'll either be missing an eye or have your teeth knocked down your throat! No one says such trash to MY girlfriend!_

Marie glared at her former employer. "He respects me, which is more than I can say for you and every other pig that comes into this place and if I had a choice between coming back here and scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush, I think I'd rather scrub toilets. Come on, Archie…let's go."

He couldn't have been more proud of her.

She only wished she could be so brave with Gaston.

"You tell him honey!" hooted Arista. "R…E…S…P…E…C…T find out what it means to me!"

"You shut your ass up and get on stage, Arista!" barked Sly. She sauntered into the main room with a smirk on her face and the men started cheering.

"Let's go, Marie. He can't tell you what to do anymore," Archie said softly. He took her hand and escorted her out of the club.

While Marie met with the contractors at the office later on Archie met with the realtor to complete the closing on the house he bought a month earlier. It was a Dutch Colonial with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a second floor deck and in ground swimming pool. He saw the house one day while he was walking with Pongo and thought it would be perfect for his family.

_Jumping the gun a bit, aren't you Hopper? You just started dating openly. _

He knew in his heart he wasn't…that sooner or later Marie and Gisella would be living in that house with him and Pongo. He couldn't wait to show it to them.

"Where are we going, Archie?" Marie asked him after they picked up Gisella from school that day.

"It's a surprise," he said with a smile and turned down the street, stopping the car in front of the house.

"That's a lovely house Archie but it's been sold," Marie said.

"I know," he said softly and held up the key.

"You bought it? That's a big house for one man and a dog!"

"I know but….the apartment was getting a bit too small…and besides…it has a pool so Gisella can come over and swim in the summertime. Do you want to go in and take a look?"

"Oh, why not?"

Archie hung back with Gisella who was smiling. "You want us to live here when you an Mommy get married, don'cha?"

"Yes I do, Princess but only when your mommy feels she's ready."

"I hope she hurries up. I really want you to be my daddy."

"I do too, Princess…more than you know…" he murmured. _As much as I want Marie to be my wife. _

"Can we see the pool?"

"Of course." He took her hand and escorted her out to the backyard. Marie was already waiting for them.

"Why don't you move in this weekend so we can help you?" she suggested.

"I am. Geppetto and August are going to help too and Regina and Henry said they would stop by. I really don't have that much to pack up as far as personal items go and not much furniture either."

"No, but you will with a house that size."

They went back to her apartment to have dinner together. Gisella was excited to help Archie move into his new house and was even more excited thinking about the day when she and her mother could move in with him and they would finally be a family.


	8. Heart In Pieces

8

~ Heart In Pieces ~

**Author****'****s Notes: This chapter deals with the sensitive issues of rape and domestic violence. **

_When you hear the thunder _

_When you hear the sound of a mountain crashing down _

_It__'__s just my heart in pieces _

Chicago – Heart In Pieces

Archie and Marie met up with Mina Harker and Jack Seward the following morning, neither of them even closely resembling the recent portrayals of them in films and television. Mina was a petite woman in her early fifties with frosted hair and green eyes and Jack was a stocky man only a few years older with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. Both of them were from the same realm as Whale. Marie was curious about Dracula and the true story of Mina's association with him but hesitant to ask, especially when Archie inquired about Mr. Harker and Mina informed him she'd been a widow for twenty years.

Mina enjoyed working with women and children and Jack handled the male patients. As Mina told Archie on the phone, they felt it was best to be in a practice among their own people. They would still see some of their patients from Boston but there were other doctors in the group that their patients saw as well.

They also made a suggestion that Archie start attending conferences now that he could travel outside the city limits to broaden his knowledge of his field. He was thinking about doing that anyway, especially after the gang war and the issues the survivors were having.

"Do you mind if Marie handles all of the scheduling or would you prefer your own office assistants?" Archie asked them.

"No, you seem to know what you're doing Marie and it isn't just from being a former lady-in-waiting," Mina said.

"I worked at an answering service for a few years and one of the things I did was schedule appointments for some of the doctors." Marie glanced over at Archie. "I think we spoke on the phone a few times now that I think about it. "Doctor Doolittle was one of the clients and we scheduled his appointments and he saw pets after hours."

Archie smiled. "You might have. I do remember Pongo nearly scaring me half to death when he got into some chocolate."

"I DID speak to you then. All the time! And we never knew!" she cried.

"Why did you quit that job? It was better than what you were doing?"

"I was working both jobs and away from Sella too much," she said sadly.

"Archie, I can start meeting with some of the male patients if you'd like," Jack offered. "You actually don't have as many so that will allow me to practice at the hospital most of the week. I'm more effective in a hospital setting." Jack was a psychiatrist.

Archie frowned. "That place could use someone who actually knows what they're doing. They keep patients locked in the damned basement! It's inhumane and I've expressed my concerns about it time and again but no one listens to me."

"They will…if we threaten to bring them up before the board….I'd love to see them try to explain it then. I'll talk to you more about what you've seen in a bit and take it from there. Not to worry…I'll have that place cleaned up in no time."

"Now that there are three of us we can actually set up a rotating schedule for handling after hours patient calls and what issues we should be contacted for during that time. Marie, I'm sure you have some idea what they would be based on your experiences at the answering service," Mina said.

"I do but I'll need you all to make up a set of procedures that I can give to Janet…she's the primary supervisor at the answering service. They have to put it in the system so that when patients call in with messages, the ones who contact the doctors will know what messages to hold until we come in the morning and what ones to page you for."

"I don't get that many calls after hours unless it's from Regina, Emma or the hospital," Archie said.

"Well, we're hoping we can lighten some of your load Doctor and you can have more time to yourself….and it looks like you could use it," Mina said with a smile.

"I would like that but I don't want my patients to feel I'm neglecting them either."

"You won't be." Mina looked at her watch. "I'd better get going. We're supposed to be meeting with Rumplestiltskin about our apartments. Rumple. I wonder if he remembers us," she said.

"May we ask how you know him?" Marie inquired. "He's my brother-in-law and I know what he was back in our world."

"Let's just say he helped us take care of a very serious problem," Mina said quickly and left the office.

"Did I just upset her? I didn't mean to," Marie said worriedly. Archie took her hand in his and patted it gently.

"She knows that," Archie assured her.

Jack sighed. "The damned media in this land…distorts the truth worse than any person I've ever met. I'm surprised neither of you have heard the real story of Vladimir Dracul."

"We never ventured out of the Enchanted Forest," Archie said. "If Mina isn't comfortable talking about it with us, perhaps you shouldn't until she gives you permission," he advised.

"Perhaps you're right. She's been my friend for a long time and I don't want to jeopardize that. We'll back later Archie."

Regina and Henry were both smiling when they arrived for their joint session and saw Marie sitting in her new desk with a vase of red roses Archie had delivered from Game of Thorns that morning. They would deliver a dozen to her every morning. During one of their long talks at home, Regina told her son everything she knew about Marie and Archie.

"So she's his true love?"

"Yes. Mother found out about her just before the curses struck and coated Archie's umbrella with the blood her vines took from Marie when they attacked her and added them as the last ingredients to the Curse of the Broken Hearted. What it means, Henry, is that they will have the hardest battle to fight to have their happy ending and only one of them can break the curse."

"Why?"

"Because Doctor Hopper has a special trait that very few men have at his age."

"What is it, Mom?"

"It's…just something you won't expect from a man."

Archie was sitting in his recliner when Marie escorted mother and son into the room. Henry's eyes widened when he saw his therapist's new appearance. Even Regina was having difficulty keeping her composure when her friend looked very handsome…and a lot like Rumple in those clothes. She envied Marie and didn't…the poor woman was going to have to beat the others off with a stick…or the Bordreaux broom.

"Whoa….Archie…you look…different!" Henry exclaimed.

"Just on the outside. It's still the old me in here," he said, tapping his chest. "Hello Regina."

"When you told me you were going to do your best to make your date perfect, you weren't kidding," she teased. "You look great. She's going to have to beat the women off you with a stick, aren't you Marie?"

"No, I'll just use the broom." She smirked and closed the office door behind her.

"Has everything been going well between you still, Henry?" Archie asked.

"Yeah…we've been doing a lot of talking…Mom's opening up more about when she lived in your world and she hardly does any magic. She still has a lot of nightmares though."

"Oh? And why haven't you mentioned this to me, Regina?"

"It…slipped my mind. It's nothing really…."

"No it isn't, Archie. She wakes up screaming and scared they're going to come for her again!"

He sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"They're just nightmares."

"Nightmares that have Henry concerned," he pointed out. "And we should talk about them."

It took Marie most of the morning to get in touch with all the patients and set up appointments as well as have everything ready to send to Janet at the answering service so that it could start handling the calls once the office closed for the day. Mina and Jack returned at noon and the four of them closed the office to go to lunch at Granny's. They could feel the eyes of the other diners on them when they sat down at one of the tables. Mina frowned.

"I can understand the icy reception to us since we're new in town but why are some people being so cold to you?" she asked the couple.

"I was…ahhhh….a dancer at one of the clubs in town and most people think I was doing something other than dancing with customers and I didn't," Marie said nervously. "It was why I was so hesitant when Archie first asked me out…didn't want to ruin his reputation."

"He doesn't seem to mind," Mina assured her with a smile.

"No I don't," Archie said, gazing deeply into Marie's eyes.

"Haven't seen you two in town before," Ruby said when she approached their table.

"This is Doctor Jack Seward and Doctor Mina Harker. They're going to be joining my practice," Archie explained.

"As in Dracula's Seward and Harker? That is amazing? Where's John…and Doctor Van Helsing…or _Dracula_? Is he as cute as he is in the movies?"

"NO!" Mina said angrily and jumped out of her seat. "Excuse me!" she croaked and ran out the door.

"Was it something I said?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"I'll go talk to her," Jack offered.

"Please do." Archie advised. He glanced up at Ruby. "It'll be all right. She's just not comfortable talking about that time in her life right now."

_That makes two of us, _Marie thought, fearing Mina's reluctance to talk about Dracula was the same reason why she didn't always talk about Gaston….she'd been threatened and loved ones killed when she did try to talk about it. She lost Jonas and Pierre to Gaston's madness. She would not risk losing Archie, Gisella, or her sister and her family.

Archie ordered everything to go and they returned to the office. Mina was calmer by then and eager to start meeting patients.

Later that night when Marie was getting Gisella ready for bed when she heard someone pounding on the door. She opened it, expecting to see Archie standing on the other side, instead she found the last person she wanted to see there.

"Movin up in the world, aren't you, Marie?" Gaston sneered.

"Get out of my house!" she growled.

"Quit your job at the club, dressing like a fashion model…working for the cricket….what else is going on between you two, hmmm? You sleeping with him, Marie?"

"What I do with MY life is none of your business."

He shoved her against the wall. "Yes it is, bitch and if you tell him anything I'll put a bullet right in his bug brain. So you'd better break it off unless you want to bury him like the others. Him…and that little brat down the hall."

Gisella screamed and Marie heard the bathroom door shut.

"You leave my daughter alone," Marie snarled and kneed him hard in the groin.

"Whore. You're mine! You understand that! Mine!" he gasped.

She kicked him again. "Get out! Get out!"

In the bathroom, Gisella was already speaking with the 911 dispatcher telling them what was happening. While the dispatcher was talking to the terrified child she was also sending Deputy Pendragon over to Marie's house.

As soon as Gaston heard the siren, he ran out of Marie's apartment. She grabbed her cellphone off the coffee table, misdialing several times before she reached Archie.

"Hello darling," he greeted softly.

"Archie...he was here again!"

"Marie!" he cried. "Keep the door locked! I'm on my way!"

He raced over to Marie's apartment, terrified at what he would find. Deputy Pendragon's car was already there when he arrived, questioning her about what happened.

"Archie!" Gisella cried when she saw him and Pongo.

"Doctor Hopper, what are you doing here?"

"I…called him. Please let him stay," Marie begged.

He picked up Gisella and sat down on the love seat, holding her protectively.

"It's all right, Princess. It's going to be all right," he crooned.

"Marie, we'll need you to come down to the station to make a formal statement…" Deputy Pendragon began.

"Can I do it tomorrow? Please? I want to be with my daughter…"

"All right," he sighed. "We'll talk to you in the morning."

Once the officer left, Archie glanced over at Marie, scowling. "Why are you being so difficult about this?"

"Please don't fight!" Gisella wailed.

"We're not, Princess," he soothed.

"Archie, please. I'm all right. I just want to be with you and Gisella," Marie said softly.

He sighed. "Come on Princess, let's get you to bed."

"Don't wanna sleep in my room…scared!"

"You can sleep out here with me," Marie suggested. "Archie, you can sleep in my room."

"No, I'll sleep on the couch. You and Gisella can sleep in your room," Archie insisted.

"Wanna sleep out here with Archie," Gisella begged.

"Tell you what…we'll bring our pillows and covers out here and have a little slumber party. Would you like that?" Marie asked her daughter. The little girl's eyes lit up. She ran into her bedroom and came back out holding Rose in one arm and dragging her covers behind her. Marie retrieved their pillows and her own covers from the bed in her room and they made makeshifts beds for themselves on the floor in front of the sofa. Pongo trotted over to Gisella and lay down by her feet.

"Night Pongo."

"Woof."

"Night Mommy."

"Good night sweetie."

"Night Archie."

"Good night Princess."

Archie lay awake and watched them sleep, wishing he were stronger so that he could protect his family himself. He knew it took more than muscles to do it but he was willing to do what it took. He was tired of seeing them live in fear. His only consolation was that Gaston would be caught and in jail soon. He was stunned when Marie crawled onto the sofa with him.

"Marie…? What are you…?" he whispered, not wanting to wake Gisella up.

"Just hold me Archie," she begged. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. She laid her head on his chest. "I feel so safe in your arms…"

He raised her lips to his and kissed her. "It'll be all right, darling."

"I love you so much. I don't want to lose you…"

"Why would you? I'm not going anywhere."

Gaston's words from earlier haunted her. _If you tell him anything I__'__ll put a bullet right in his bug brain. So you__'__d better break it off unless you want to bury him like the others. Him__…__and that little brat down the hall._

She held him tighter and gazed down at her daughter. They were the two most important people in her life and she would do anything to protect them…even if it meant making a difficult decision for she knew Gaston would carry out his threat….the moment they least expected it.

At first Archie felt uneasy being so close to her, closer than they ever had before but it would go no further than that. It wouldn't be right. She was in a fragile state at the moment and they weren't married…yet. Still, even as improper as it was, he didn't want to let her go. He drifted off to sleep still holding her in his arms.

Marie left the office early the next day, telling Archie she was going to go down to the police station and make her statement. He hoped that the bastard would be in jail before night time since that was when he made his visits to her apartment to terrify her. On his way home he decided to stop by the sheriff's office to talk to Emma and ask if there was a way Marie could have someone keep an eye on the house. He wasn't expecting to hear what he did.

"She did what?" he cried.

"Dropped the charges, Doctor Hopper and I hope to hell this wasn't your idea!"

"Of course it wasn't!" he insisted. "Has she done this…before?"

"All the time and frankly it has me worried especially after the conversation I had with Deputy Pendragon this morning. Gaston is a dangerous man and Pendragon is damned sure he was the one who broke Keith Nottingham out of jail!"

"My gods!" Archie cried.

"Talk to her Doc….see if you can get her to understand that creep belongs in jail before he hurts anyone else. I can't put him there without her to nail him," Emma pleaded.

"I will," he said determinedly. He had several patients to see but after that he was going to have a long talk with Marie.

"Archie, what's the matter?" Marie asked when he arrived at her apartment later on that day. He looked angry.

"I just had a very interesting conversation with Sheriff Swan," he said coldly. "Did you drop the charges against that bastard, Marie?"

"Yes…" she whispered.

"For the love of the gods why? He's dangerous and you know that!" he cried.

"I had to!"

"No you did not! He belongs in jail! He tried to assault you Marie and God only knows what he would've done to Gisella had she not locked herself in the bathroom and called the police! If he gets away with it this time, he's going to come back and try again and possibly kill you! You need to file a restraining order!"

"That won't stop him…" she whispered.

" Marie…darling …talk to me….what's going on? Why does he keep coming after you? Is he threatening you?"

"I…can't…I can't…"

"Marie, dammit, do you not see how this is unhealthy for Gisella…seeing that man come in here, attack you and get away with it? She'll grow up thinking that's normal! Well, it isn't!" he raged. "You can't just think of yourself…you have to think of your daughter!"

"How dare you accuse me of not thinking about Gisella!? I have done EVERYTHING FOR MY DAUGHTER!"

"Exposing her to domestic violence on a regular basis is not thinking about her welfare." He sighed. "Has it ever occurred to you that you could have her taken away from you?"

"What?! You can't take her away from me!" she screamed. "Archie, please don't do this to me…don't you love me?"

"I DO love you Marie, I'm trying to help you but you're not listening to me!"

"You are not taking my daughter from me!"

"I would if I had to!"

"You son of a bitch..." she sobbed.

It left a bitter taste in his throat to say what he was saying to her now but it was the truth and as a doctor it was his duty to act if he felt a child was in a dangerous environment and Marie was placing her in one by allowing her abuser to walk free. Though he loved her, he would have to put his personal feelings aside for Gisella's sake.

"You tell me you love me and then you threaten to take my daughter away from me! How could you? You're not her father!"

"I've been more of a father to her than anyone else and you damned well know it! I won't have to if that bastard is in jail where the hell he belongs!" he shouted, her words stinging.

"Even if I do have him arrested again, it's his word against mine and everyone knows what I used to do for a living..."

"Not when you have physical evidence of an assault it isn't!"

"You don't get it! No matter WHAT I do I can't get away from him! And if I try he'll…."

"He'll what?"

"I…I.."

He reached for her but she shoved him away. "Don't shut me out, Marie. Not now. Not after all we've…" he pleaded.

"I have to…" She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry, Archie."

_It__'__s the only way I can protect you. _

He sighed. "If that's the way you want it then I better be going. I love you Marie, but I can't help you if you won't let me."

It took all the courage he had left to walk away. He barely remembered driving home and when he walked into his apartment, Pongo sensed his distress immediately and jumped onto the sofa, putting his head in Archie's lap.

"It's over, Pongo…" he said, close to tears. The dog whined softly and licked his hand. "We were so close to being a family…"

He glanced over at his cellphone, wanting to pick it up and call her, beg her to talk to him and try to work things out but he couldn't make his hand move.

_She__'__s the one who should be calling you. You__'__ve given her everything you have and she__'__s just thrown it all back in your face. You jumped in too fast and now you__'__ve gotten yourself burned. Maybe you__'__re better off alone. _

The house that he bought for the three of them seemed to serve as a reminder to him that he was a romantic fool. His parents would have been amused.

_You really stuck your foot in it this time, haven__'__t you boy? When are you going to get it through your thick head that you never let someone con YOU, you con them, _he could hear his father scolding and he covered his ears to drown out the sound.

"Shut up! I am NOT like you!" he cried.

_No, because if you were, you__'__d realize you__'__ve been played like a violin. She__'__s a dancer, boy and probably ran this scheme on a dozen men before you. And who__'__s to say this Gaston isn__'__t in on it? I__'__d say you were thinking with the other head but you don__'__t even know how to use THAT!_

"You're dead…and I'm not listening to you anymore…leave me alone!"

Pongo jumped up and licked his face. He shook his head to clear it. "I'm all right boy…I'm all right."

The Dalmatian shook its head.

"You're right…I'm not." He felt as if someone had taken a hammer and slammed it down on his heart, breaking it into a million pieces. He'd counseled at least a dozen patients through bad breakups, trying to act like he knew how they felt when in truth he'd never experienced it until now and it was more painful than any illness or injury he had, including the scar on his back.

_Where is the Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper who is willing to fight to the death for what he believes in? This is the person you were YEARS ago__…__being led around by the nose by parents who were a poor excuse for them__…__the man who cowered before Regina during the curse. You love Marie__…__and you know she loves you. You love Gisella like a daughter. If Marie is too terrified to fight for your love, you do it for her! _

He grabbed his phone and saw there was a message on it. It had been on silent the entire time he was sitting there and his heart lifted when he saw Marie's name on the display.

An hour earlier….

At her own apartment, Marie sank to the floor in tears. "Archie…."

"I hate you! You made him go away! MAKE HIM COME BACK!" screamed Gisella.

"Gisella…"

"I want my daddy back!"

"But he's not…"

"He's my daddy an I'm gonna run away an live with him if you don't make him come back! Why you making him go away…don'cha love him anymore?"

"I do love him….I do…" Marie sobbed.

"Then you make him come back or I'm leavin!" threatened her daughter. "M'sick an tired of having the bad daddy around. I want a good daddy an you just let him leave 'cause you're being dumb!"

"Gisella, please…you don't understand!"

"Just call him!" she wailed.

_Marie, you fool! What have you done? That man is the best thing that could__'__ve happened to you and Gisella and you just let him walk away? Your daughter__'__s right__…__and so is he. You need to stop letting Gaston interfere in your life. Put him in jail where he belongs and fight for your family__…__because that is what you, Archie and Gisella are__…__a FAMILY!_

She grabbed her phone and dialed Archie's number. It rang several times before it went to voicemail.

"Archie...it's Marie...please call me back when you get this…I'll tell you everything...I don't want you to break up with me..." she sobbed.

She heard a crash in the kitchen.

"MOMMY!" Gisella screamed. "HE BROKE THE WINDOW!"

_Gaston!_

"Gisella get up in the bathroom and lock yourself in!" she called to her daughter and stood up with the phone in her hand.

"You bitch; you're fucking him, aren't you?" Gaston yelled when he came into the living room.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" she screamed.

He yanked the phone out of her hand and stomped on it.

"You're going to give me what you're giving him, you little whore whether you want to or not!" he snarled and reached for her.

"You're not touching me again!"

In the bathroom, Gisella was holding the cordless phone in her hand; her fingers shaking as she frantically dialed 911. Finally she heard the dispatcher come on the line.

"He's gonna kill my mommy!" she screamed. "He broke the window and he came in and he's trying to hit her like he did last night!"

"Honey, who is your Mommy?"

"Marie B…Bordreaux…an I'm Gisella….you gotta hurry! M'scared! I don't want my mommy to die!" The frightened child gave her address as she did the night before. "And I want my daddy…"

"Help is on the way Gisella…stay on the phone with me, okay?"

"Okay…"

Gaston dragged Marie into her bedroom and struck her several times as she struggled to free herself, not wanting to endure the same terror she had that stormy night in the stables when she was nineteen.

"You're gonna _enjoy _this, bitch and if you don't I've got a gun outside with enough bullets in it for you, that little brat, your sister and that cricket who probably can't even get it up!" he threatened, tearing at her clothing.

"He's more of a man than you'll ever be!" she hissed and grabbed the lamp and smashed it against the side of his head. He groaned and fell off the bed. Seizing her opportunity, Marie raced out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, grabbing a knife off the block on the counter. She held it out as Gaston came into the kitchen. "I am DONE being afraid of you, Gaston Devereaux and you're not leaving this house alive!" she snarled.

He threw himself at her and knocked to the floor. She slashed at him several times with the knife, wanting to cut off the very thing that had robbed her of her innocence all those years ago until she felt his hand squeezing her fingers so hard that she could feel bones cracking. The knife slipped out of her hand. "No, you're going to die, bitch!" he yelled, slamming her head into the floor.

_Gisella, Archie__…__.I__'__m so sorry__…__I love you__…_she thought as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, the last images she had in her head of happier times with the two of them and thoughts of what they could've had.

"Marie!" Archie's phone slipped out of his hand and onto the floor. "Oh God no!" He grabbed his car keys and his umbrella and raced out to his car, praying he wouldn't be too late. "My fault….this is all my fault! I never should've left her alone…" he moaned while he sped to her house.

Gaston walked out to his car and was about to open the door when he was tackled from behind by Jefferson Hatter and handcuffed. "I've got him, Emma! You're under arrest, Devereaux!" he growled and hauled the stock broker to his feet and shoved him against their squad car while Emma held a gun to him and the EMTs and two deputies secured the scene. A minute later Archie's Chevy pulled in behind the ambulance.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Archie screamed at Gaston when he saw the EMTs bringing out the woman he loved covered in blood and bruises. "I'll kill you! I swear to the gods I WILL KILL YOU!" He raced forward, ready to do just that when Jeff grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Archie, let us handle this."

"You bastard, why couldn't you just leave her alone?!" he sobbed.

"She was a whore...she wanted it, they all do."

"LET GO OF ME….I WANT TO KILL HIM!" Archie shouted, struggling to free himself from Jeff's grasp.

"Get that son of a bitch out of here, Em before I change my mind and let him loose!" Jeff shouted at Emma.

"He can't hurt a fly!" Gaston taunted.

"That's what you think, you bastard…I'll shove my umbrella so far up your ass your guts will come out of your mouth!" snarled the former cricket. "AFTER I blind you for life!"

The two police officers were stunned. They'd seen Archie lose his temper before but never like this…it was personal. He was talking like there more to his relationship with the dancer than that of doctor/patient.

"How many ways she go down on you last night, Hopper?"

"You sick little...you've been watching the apartment haven't you? What else? Have you been having us followed too, you degenerate bastard?"

"I'm getting him out of here. Archie, Gisella's locked in the bathroom and she won't come out….for anyone but you," Emma told him.

"Get….him…out…of my sight," Archie said through gritted teeth and ran into the apartment building. When he opened the front door to Marie's apartment, he gasped in shock and horror and sank to the floor shaking at the sight that met his eyes…blood…and glass everywhere.

_This is YOUR fault__…__you LEFT HER ALONE!_

"Oh God….Marie…" he moaned.

"Doctor Hopper…you can't be in here…" Deputy Pendragon informed him

"Where is Gisella!?" he cried.

"I WANT MY DADDY!" he heard her scream and jumped to his feet. He ran down the hall to the bathroom where another officer was standing outside the door, ready to break it down.

"We tried to get her to come out but she won't…"

"No! If you break the door down you'll terrify her more than she already is."

"Daddy!" she sobbed.

"Gisella, Princess….can you open the door?"

She turned the knob and ran out into his arms. Archie cradled her against him, in tears himself. "It's okay, Princess…Daddy's here…" he crooned. He picked her up and carried her outside.

"Mommy…."

"She's going to be all right Princess."

"Doctor Hopper….Jeff needs to ask you a few questions…"

"Not now!" he barked.

"Archie, I know it's not a good time…." Jeff began, cringing under the icy glare his friend was giving him.

"I can look after Gisella for you," Deputy Pendragon said gently.

Gisella clung to Archie tighter. "Want my daddy!"

"But he's…" Jeff glanced over at Gaston.

"I'm right here, Princess…" Archie soothed and glared at Jeff again. "You want to talk to me, we can do it later. I'm not leaving my daughter. You understand me?!"

"It'll just be for a minute. I promise I'll keep her safe Doc," Deputy Pendragon vowed.

"All right," he murmured. "Sella….I'm going to talk to Deputy Hatter a bit but Deputy Pendragon is going to stay right here with you. Okay?" he asked the little girl when he set her on her feet.

"Kay Daddy," she murmured. He could see Rumple's Cadillac pull into the parking lot of the apartment building.

"What happened, Jeff?" Rumple asked softly when he and Belle approached them, his eyes glittering with rage. "Not that I couldn't see with my own eyes but . . . why did he assault her?"

"It was my fault!" Archie moaned. "I never should've left her alone..."

"Did you know this would happen?" Rumple demanded sharply. "No? Then quit talking like an idiot!"

"No, you don't understand...we argued...and I left...I should've KNOWN better!"

"Archie, you're not making any sense. Would you please try to do so...this is my sister!" Belle pleaded.

Jeff pulled them aside. Archie returned to where Gisella stood with Deputy Pendragon and picked her up again.

"Daddy, is Mommy going to die?" Gisella asked fearfully.

"No, Princess. The doctors are going to make her all better."

Belle walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to the hospital..."

She didn't need to ask him if he would accompany her. He was already following her to the car still holding Gisella.

"…You look like you could use this," Belle said softly, handing Archie a cup of coffee from the vending machine while they were in the waiting room. Gisella had fallen asleep while they waited to speak to the doctor.

"A Scotch would be better," he mumbled and sank down on the sofa beside the still sleeping Gisella. "I never should've left her alone…dammit….if I'd stayed…but I was so damned hurt by her shutting me out…"

"Rumple's right. You would've been here with Marie or worse and you can't sit here beating yourself up over it. Marie needs you to be strong for her and so does Gisella."

Archie gazed down at her, a small smile on his lips. "I feel like she's mine….strange isn't it? I'm not her father, but…"

"No, it isn't. I may not have given birth to Bae but he IS my son. You can give birth to a child or donate the sperm to create one but what makes you a mother or father to a child is how much you LOVE them. And you love Gisella as much as you love Marie and so you ARE her father."

"Last night….I was going to talk to Marie about adopting her until I found out about Gaston being released…and then we fought….I said some awful things…that I'd take Gisella away from her if she kept seeing her mother get beaten up…oh God….I didn't want to do it….but dammit, I'm the closest thing she's ever had to a father…and she didn't need to see that going on."

"She didn't and Marie knew that. Dammit, why didn't she come to me or Rumple? He would've set up wards to keep that bastard away or done something to him to make sure he left her alone."

"I don't know…he was threatening Gisella…it's the only thing I can think of that would make her so terrified of him to not say anything."

"Well she's not going to be afraid of him anymore. He'll be the one running scared once we get through with him!" Belle declared, her eyes flashing with anger. "I'm going to take Gisella with us."

"No! Wanna stay with Daddy!" Gisella cried and sat up, throwing her arms around Archie. "Auntie Belle, please!"

"Honey…"

"It's all right, Belle. She'll be fine with me."

Doctor Whale came out a short time later to talk to them, both of them horrified by the extent of Marie's injuries.

"May we see her?" Belle asked.

"Yes but only for a short time. She needs to rest," Whale explained.

Belle called Rumple and asked him to wait with Gisella while they went in to see Marie. Belle threw her arms around her sister and burst into tears.

"Why didn't you let us protect you, Marie? You know we would have!" she cried.

"You…were here with Papa while he was having his surgery…and the baby. I didn't want to worry you."

"Next time you worry me! Understand!"

"I'm sorry," Marie sobbed.

"It's going to be all right. We're gonna take care of it," Belle promised.

"How?"

"By sending him to prison. Where he belongs," Archie said firmly.

"Archie….I'm so sorry…I didn't mean what I said….I…I love you…" Marie said hoarsely. He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. Belle excused herself and went back to the waiting room, wanting to give the couple some time alone.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't want to take Gisella away from you…I was upset…"

"I should've told you."

"He's not going to get anywhere near you or Gisella again and you're not going back to that apartment."

"But where…?"

"I want you to live with me."

"Archie…we're not married….people will talk…"

"Like I give a damn!" he said angrily. "I love you and Gisella and that's the only thing I give a damn about…us being a family."

She burst into tears. "I don't deserve you!"

He pulled her into his arms. "Yes you do…" he soothed. "He's not going to destroy what we have, Marie. I won't allow it." He kissed her gently. "We'll get through this, darling…together."

"Where's Sella?"

"She's at the house with Rumple until I get home."

"I don't want her to see me like this…" she moaned.

Neither did he because he knew it was an image she would carry with her for the rest of her life but he also knew they needed each other because for the longest time, that was all they had…each other.

"I'll…bring her over tomorrow." He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Good night, darling."

"I love you…" she murmured and closed her eyes.

"You going to be okay, Hopper?" Rumple asked him when he returned to the waiting room and placed Gisella in his arms.

"I think so."

"I want to be sure. You're coming home with us tonight."

"But…"

"No buts. Come on. We have plenty of room and we'd feel better if you were both where we can keep an eye on you," the sorcerer insisted.

"All right."

At the Victorian Belle went into the kitchen and brought out a butcher knife.

"Dearie, what are you doing with that?" Rumple asked her.

"Going to fix a problem."

"How?"

"Simple. When a bull gets too vicious you cut off his balls. So . . . I'm going to cut off Gaston's. Problem solved."

"Belle . . . while I would dearly love for you to do something of that nature to that bastard . . .I can't let you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want the mother of my child to spend the rest of her pregnancy in jail and my baby get born there." He sighed. "But if we were back in our old world . . . his balls would be decorating a standard by now."

"Dammit! I hate when you make sense!"

"Sorry. But we'll get Marie justice through the courts . . .and I'll nail his ass to a wall when I prosecute him for assault."

"That's better than nothing," she agreed. "But maybe you could show him this?" she asked with a malicious grin on her lips, holding up the knife. "After all….sometimes fear is a much more powerful motivator and he does have it coming."

"That he does, dearie."

"Why aren't you with your little whore, Hopper...and if it isn't the old geezer!" Gaston taunted when he looked up and saw Archie and Rumple standing outside his cell the next afternoon. Emma and Jeff conveniently went out to lunch, leaving the two of them alone with the prisoner.

Rumple laughed. "Where'd you borrow those lines from Devereaux? A fifty cent comic book?"

"Y...You're lucky you're still BREATHING you son of a bitch!" Archie snarled.

"Oh not just that...you're lucky you still have your balls," Rumple added with a smirk.

"Oh, and why's that?" Gaston sneered.

"My wife would like to cut them off and mount them on a wall because that's EXACTLY what a man who beats a woman deserves."

Archie grabbed the knife and held it up. "Be grateful you're behind those bars Gaston because if you EVER come near Marie or Gisella again, you won't have to worry about Belle cutting your balls off...I'll GLADLY do it!"

"You don't have the guts to...cricket!"

"Oh don't I? You want to find out?"

Rumple giggled "No one is an ass like Gaston

Gonna lose his balls like Gaston

Gonna be mounted on a wall like Gaston

Cause as a dead specimen he's more enter-tain-ing

Snip, Snip, Snip old Gaston!" He waved his hand and a large pair of scissors appeared in the cell with him.

Gaston screamed and huddled into the corner of his cell, a puddle of urine on the floor in front of him. Archie glared at him through the bars of his cell. "Well, isn't that amazing? You think it's all right to abuse a woman yet you're nothing but a coward when the shoe's on the other foot. You're going to rot in this cell and then you're going to rot in hell! Come on Rumple….the stench in this place is turning my stomach."

"You can say that again," Rumple giggled. He was looking forward to massacring the slime ball in the courtroom.

Archie drove over to the hospital immediately after he and Rumple spoke to Gaston and was surprised to see Mina there. Jack was already there starting his work on improving the conditions of the psychiatric ward.

"Archie, we're putting you on a leave of absence," she informed him. "You need to be with your family right now and they've sent over a girl from the answering service named Jane Banks to handle the office. Mary Poppins called as well and she accepted your offer to be your housekeeper and nanny for Gisella."

He called the former nanny himself the night before and explained the situation. She told him she would think about it and call him in the morning. He'd been so distracted thinking about Marie and Gisella that he wasn't aware she left numerous messages on his phone and finally called the office when she didn't reach him.

"Jane was one of Mary's charges. I'm sure she'll do fine…but my patients…"

"Some of them already know what happened and they're willing to speak to me or Jack until you come back to the office. And there's something I need to speak to you and Marie about."

"Mina, maybe now isn't a good time…"

"No. It is. It's time you knew the truth about Dracul."

Marie was sitting up in bed when they walked into the room. Mina pulled up a chair beside them while Archie sat on the bed with Marie. He knew the nurse would most likely throw a fit but he didn't give a damn at the moment.

"Thank you for coming Mina."

"I had to. You see, Marie….I know what you're going through. I've been there…"

"Dracula….that's why your husband is dead, isn't it? He killed him?" Marie asked softly.

Mina nodded. "He was obsessed with me…claimed I was his Elisaveta reincarnated and wanted to turn me into one of his brides but my husband and several of his friends banded together to try to stop him. By that time he'd already infected me with his blood and established a link with me telepathically but before that he manipulated me and took me to his bed. He knew they were coming and was prepared. He killed them all…but Jack. Then Jack and I drove a stake through the bastard's heart and severed his head from his body. But I still felt tainted…I still had his blood in me and I wanted rid of it!"

"Was that why you went to see Rumple?"

"Yes. He found a way to extract Dracula's blood and remove it but the damage had been done. He'd taken my maidenhead before my marriage. I lost my husband and most of my friends….because of one man's madness. And now you almost have too," Mina sobbed. Marie threw her arms around the older woman.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. What happened to me made you remember what you wanted to forget."

"But like me, Marie, you must see justice done!"

"And we will," Archie vowed. "Together."

The next few weeks were difficult for all of them. They suffered from terrible nightmares and had anxiety attacks, Jack and Mina had to make a trip to the house at least once a night to talk to them. Archie was terrified to let Gisella and Marie out of his sight even for a second. Rumple and Belle also stopped over and made sure they spent some time away from home to help occupy their troubled minds and the Furious Women of Storybrooke sent over dinners and baked goods or just stopped in to make sure the family was doing well for in their eyes, they were a family even if it wasn't official yet. Regina and Rumple as an extra precaution placed powerful wards on the house and Rumple made protective bracelets for Marie and Gisella.

The second week Archie paid a visit to the martial arts instructor Mulan Cho and asked her to start teaching him some basic self-defense skills.

"I always say that when you find something worth fighting for, you never give up," she said softly. "And you are a warrior, Doctor."

"I know I'm not the strongest person but….I'm not going to let anyone hurt my family again!" he cried.

"Come. There is a lot to learn."

He was always sore when he finished his lessons for the day and exhausted because she also had him working out at the gym to strengthen his muscles. Marie had recovered fully from her injuries and she started taking the classes with him as well as going to the gym and both of them were sore and exhausted by the time they got home. Still, if anyone tried to harm either one of them again, they would have a tough time of it.

The only drawback was that some of the women in town were starting to look at Archie again like a piece of steak to devour, invoking Marie's anger. One night while they were out at Ratatouille one of the waitresses deliberately spilled something right in Archie's lap.

"I'll clean it up," she said and was about to do just that when Marie jumped out of her chair and grabbed her arm.

"Don't you even think about it, you tart!" she hissed.

"Marie, darling, it was an accident," Archie insisted.

"My ass it was!" she snarled. "I watched you the whole time. You did it on purpose!" she accused the waitress.

"I did not!"

"Oh yes you did!" Snow accused from the next table. "We didn't just get off the boat, honey."

"Are you sure it wasn't an accident?" Archie queried.

"It wasn't," David confirmed. The waitress glared at them and stormed off, her opportunity ruined. Word got out quickly that Archie Hopper had to be added to the list of men not to touch with a ten foot pole or face the Bordreaux wrath.

They were all nervous the day of the trial. They were once again facing Spencer and this time it was personal. He was determined to prove Marie a whore and put Gisella on the stand, something Archie wanted to avoid at all costs and Archie and Rumple both knew he was still smarting over how they'd humiliated him during Regina and Barbara Allen's trials.

"He's going to try to discredit her because of her age and we both know it!" he said angrily. "I don't care what you have to do but my daughter is not getting up on that stand!"

"She won't be," Rumple assured him. "We have the 911 confirmation call and also the evidence on your phone recording, plus the reports from the hospital on Marie's injuries. That'll be enough proof to show Gaston's guilt without bringing Sella into it."

"Every time I hear that...I feel like a damned fool for letting my anger get the best of me and walking out!"

"Archie, you can't keep beating yourself over the head with guilt," Rumple advised him. "It's a trap that will suck you dry. Believe me; no one knows that better than I do."

"I'm trying not to but dammit...how can I when it wasn't even an hour after I left that he broke in! He broke in while I was at home nursing my stupid pride!"

"You couldn't have known that would happen. And even if you were there, what could you have done? Then we would have had the both of you in the ER and Gisella without her parents. The important thing now is that we get him to pay for what he's done . . . pay in spades."

He sighed. "I just wish Marie didn't have to relive all that again."

"I know. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to walk through our darkest night in order to get to the dawn. She's a strong woman, Hopper. She'll be okay. And she's going to be sympathetic to the jurors, since she's a single parent who was a victim of a stronger man." Gold said confidently.

"Well when you put me up there and ask for my 'professional opinion' on him, it's going to be hard not to say what I really think."

"Yes, but I need you to remain collected, Hopper. I want HIM to be a raging lunatic, not you." Gold cautioned.

"Even when Spencer, pig that he is, is trying to get the dirty details of my relationship with Marie?"

That would be even harder, he mused.

"Yes . . . because you know what details there are and he can't get you to say something that's not true."

"I know but still it's none of their damned business!"

Gold sighed. "It is and it isn't. Spencer wants to show that Marie's a ho, and it's up to me to prove her innocence. And you can help with that."

That he could. They avoided displays of affection in public, they lived in the same house but had separate bedrooms and they always maintained a professional distance at the office.

Rumple heaved a sigh. As always, the burden of proof rested on the prosecution. But he had gathered as much evidence as he could and as many witnesses to testify that Gaston was a man with a hair trigger temper who wouldn't hesitate to use force upon a victim, man or woman.

Archie grabbed his tie off the table and put it on though he rarely wore them these days.

Part of him wanted to use it as a noose around Gaston's neck.

Rumple shuffled forward, gripping his cane, hoping the judge would understand his reason for wearing fuzzy slippers to court. A brown briefcase was in his hand.

Archie glanced down at Rumple's feet and chuckled. "What the hell...?"

Rumple blushed. "It's not my fault. Belle . . . has started getting swollen feet . . . and because of our bond . . . I am too. My Gucci shoes don't fit".

"You couldn't find a more...suitable pair of slippers?" the therapist joked.

"These were the ones that fit. My moccasins were too tight also."

"Judge is going to have a fit..."

"I know it's not proper protocol, but Judge Thomas knows about my Couvade syndrome . . .and since it's a medical condition, he'll just have to deal with it."

"Well you can go barefoot as long as you nail that bastard!"

"I won't need to go that far," Rumple smirked. "Now, let's go in there and beat the shit out of Spencer and Devereaux."

The first witness was the dispatcher who took Gisella's 911 call.

Gold quickly established the time and date of the call and the place where it came from.

Then there was silence as the tape was played.

It was horrifying listening to the terrified five year old begging them to hurry because the bad man was killing her mommy and would kill her if he found her.

Gold's mouth tightened in a grimace of distaste. "And there is proof that on the night of July 23rd, Mr. Devereux did, with malice of forethought, break into Miss Bordreaux's home and brutally assault her, resulting in several injuries."

The next witness was Emma.

"Sheriff Swan, will you please describe what kind of scene greeted your eyes when you arrived at Miss Bordreaux's apartment?" asked Rumple politely.

_A horror scene_, she thought.

Then she took a deep breath and began her narrative of the events that night.

"Deputy Hatter and I apprehended Gaston outside the building while he was attempting to either flee the scene or go to his car for the gun we discovered in the front passenger seat."

"And why was Gaston attempting to leave, Miss Swan?"

"He believed Marie Bordeaux was dead," she answered grimly.

"So he was attempting to flee the scene of a murder . . .and the victim was a single parent with a small child . . .a child who is the biological daughter of the defendant," Gold stated. "And when you went to check on Marie, in what condition did you find her?"

"Unconscious...her clothes were torn...she had multiple bruises...and there were also defensive wounds...we found a bloody kitchen knife in the hall."

"And in your professional assessment, was Miss Bordreaux trying to defend herself from her attacker?"

"Without a doubt...the blood on the knife was his and there was a cut on his thigh..."

"A cut, ladies and gentlemen, made by a desperate woman trying to fend off the man who was trying to kill her . . .but before that he attempted to rape her as well."

Emma Swan prided herself on being calm in crisis but what she saw that night shook her to the core. She still was amazed how Marie survived it.

Spencer knew there was very little he could do to dispute the assault charge but he was determined to get the attempted rape charge tossed out.

And he was planning on using a temporary insanity defense and had his own expert ready to testify to it. Archie prepared Rumple well to discredit him during cross examination.

Just as he was ready for his own credibility to be attacked when he took the stand.

Rumple was saving his most damning witness for last...Marie herself.

"So, by your own evaluation, Miss Swan, we can see that obviously Mr. Devereaux broke into Marie Bordreaux's house with the intent to harm her and in fact did do so, battering her unconscious and even implied sexual assault of her person." He pulled a sheaf of papers from his briefcase. "Your Honor, I submit these hospital records as Exhibit A testimony that Marie Bordreaux was admitted to the ER of Storybrooke General on the night of July 23rd with multiple injuries . . .including bruising around her groin area, clear signs of an attempted sexual assault."

Judge Thomas took the papers. "Thank you, Mr. Gold."

"No further questions, Your Honor." Gold went to sit down, giving the floor to his opposition.

Spencer bided his time. The person who would cast doubt on the rape evidence was about to take the stand.

At least that was what he wanted him to do without knowing it.

He smiled finding it fitting that it would be her lover that would put the nails in her coffin.

Archie steeled himself for a battle when Rumple called him to the stand.

"The prosecution now calls Dr. Archibald Hopper to the stand to testify by expert medical opinion to the mental state of both the defendant and the victim." Gold said.

And a few other things…Archie thought.

Rumple turned to face his witness and said, "Dr. Hopper, please state your name and occupation for the record."

"Dr. Archibald Hopper."

Gaston glared at him from across the room.

"And you are a certified therapist and psychologist, correct?" Rumple queried.

"I am," Archie replied.

"Dr. Hopper, is it true that you were with Miss Bordreaux before the events of July 23rd?"

"Yes."

"And how would you describe Miss Bordreaux's state of mind while you were with her?"

"She was upset. She and Mr. Devereaux had an altercation the night before. Though Mr. Devereaux was arrested for the incident Miss Bordreaux still didn't feel she and her daughter were safe in the apartment alone."

"So you stayed overnight, is that correct?"

"Yes...I slept in the living room."

They both knew this was going to be one of Spencer's attacking points.

"Did you suggest she leave the apartment and stay with a relative or friend?"

"I did but her sister was not in town and her father was in the hospital himself after having hip replacement surgery."

"And you were there before Mr. Devereaux broke in but left before he arrived?" Gold asked.

"Yes," Archie admitted sadly.

They both agreed it was better to bring up their fight on direct rather than let Spencer do so on cross.

"What were your reasons for leaving if you were concerned over Marie's safety?"

Archie looked down. "I regretted doing so immediately after I left but we...argued."

"And what was the nature of the argument, if I may inquire?"

"I discovered she dropped the charges against Mr Devereaux for their altercation the night before."

"Did she give you a reason for doing so? This was a restraining order against him, correct?" Gold asked, trying to establish a prior pattern of abuse there.

"No. She gave me no reason but I suspected he was threatening her…and Gisella. I suggested she file a restraining order against him but she said it wouldn't stop him. Had I known..."

_You were a prize idiot that night Hopper and you know it. Instead of staying there and not letting it drop you walked out..._

"So your disagreement was over the fact that you felt Gaston was a threat to her, but she refused to seek help from the law? How long were you gone before Devereaux broke in?"

"I think...about two hours...she called me...but I didn't get her message until..."

"Do you have a recording of the call you received, Dr. Hopper?"

"Yes," he croaked.

"Your Honor, I would like to submit the recording of the call Dr. Hopper received on his phone as Exhibit B, evidence of the distress suffered by my plaintiff." Gold stated.

"Submitted."

Archie buried his face in his hands as soon as Marie started speaking.

"Archie...it's Marie...please call me back when you get this..." She was crying. "I'll tell you everything...I don't want you to break up with me..."

Then a crash was heard.

"MOMMY!" Gisella was screaming. "HE BROKE THE WINDOW!"

"Gisella get up in the bathroom and lock yourself in..."

"You bitch; you're fucking him, aren't you?" Gaston was heard yelling.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

The next thing heard was Marie screaming and a dialtone.

Rumple handed the phone to Judge Thomas. Then he spoke again, his voice grave and laced with anger. "As you can see, there can be no doubt that Marie Bordreaux was in fear for her life .. . .and rightly so, as Gaston Devereaux assaulted her that night with the clear intent to either cripple her or to end her life as evidenced by her injuries. It can also be established that such violence and perhaps even coercion was a regular pattern in their relationship."

They didn't have one, Archie thought bitterly

"No further questions, Your Honor."

"Counselor, your witness."

"Doctor Hopper...on this recoding we've just heard it clearly indicates you are in fact in a relationship with Marie Bordreaux...is that correct?"

"Yes . . .I am dating her."

"Are you in the habit of dating your patients?"

"No . . . but Marie was a friend before she was my patient," Archie replied. "And there's no law that says I cannot do so."

"No but doesn't it present a conflict of interest?"

"In her case, no," Archie replied. "Since she's receiving counseling from me regarding problems with Mr. Devereaux. And I offered to stop counseling her if she wished after we began dating. She refused, saying she trusted me to advise her."

"You've testified that you spent the night of July 22 at Miss Bordreaux's apartment and left the next day and that you did not share her bed, that's not true is it, Doctor?'

"On the contrary, sir, it is true," Archie argued. "Due to her prior experiences with Gaston, Marie and I have never . . . had relations with one another. I . . . do not believe in sleeping with a woman until I am married to her."

"You expect us to believe you spent the entire night in an exotic dancer's home on the sofa?"

"Yes. I did. I would not dishonor her that way."

"You said you argued...it got of hand and YOU were the one who attempted to sexually assault Miss Bordreaux and frame my client, didn't you?"

"Objection, Your Honor, he's badgering the witness!' Rumple shouted.

"Excuse me?" Archie sputtered. Rumple had prepared him for this sort of accusation, but even so, it shocked him. The viper. "I did nothing of the kind! Yes, I argued with Marie, but I would NEVER harm her . . .or any woman!"

"Sustained." The judge frowned at Spencer.

"Your Honor, there was no DNA on the bruises and I have the right to present evidence that suggests the perpetrator may be someone other than my client!" Spencer argued.

"He has a point, Mr. Gold."

Rumple was furious. "May we approach?"

The two attorneys approached the bench.

"Your Honor, to suggest that Doctor Hopper is responsible for the sexual assault is ludicrous when the evidence shows it occurred after he was already out of the apartment."

"The hospital staff couldn't say for certain how old the bruises were!" Spencer argued back.

"I am going to sustain the objection for now."

"Doctor Hopper, has Miss Bordereaux told you of any other partners she'd had prior to you?"

What the hell are you up to now, Spencer?

Archie swallowed hard. "The . . . the only one I know of is Mr. Devereaux, who assaulted her prior to coming to this land and her daughter is his illegitimate child."

"Then you aren't aware of a former client of the Foxtrot...a man named Jonas Harris?"

Marie gasped. Her relationship with Harris was NOT what he was going to make it out to be...but there was no doubt in her mind he found that out from Zelena.

"No. I've never heard of him," Archie admitted.

Spencer handed the judge a stack of papers. "I would like to present this as defense Exhibit A, a copy of the will of the late Jonas Harris that bequeathed the sum of fifty thousand dollars to be held in trust for Gisella Bordreaux until she reaches the age of twenty-one.

"Also Miss Bordreaux was bequeathed the apartment she now lives in in Mr. Harris's will. Now, Doctor Hopper, Miss Bordreaux hasn't been very honest with you now has she?"

_Marie, why didn__'__t you tell me? _

_Oh Archie...I should've told you..._ Marie thought sadly.

Belle reached for her sister's hand.

"Marie, why did you...?"

"It's not what it looks like," she wept.

Archie was stunned. He couldn't understand why she had never mentioned this to him. But he took a deep breath and rallied all of his courage. Spencer was a snake, full of poison, and he delighted in tearing people down. But he wasn't going to let that happen.

It's over, Marie thought sadly. He won't want me...not now.

She braced herself for the end... as best she could.

He looked the defense attorney in the eye. "No, she never told me about this Jonas Harris. But that' her business, and I don't pry into my patient's past unless they bring it up. What I DO know is that Gaston ruined her back when she was still a lady's maid to her sister, Belle Bordreaux Gold, and the adopted fosterling of her father, Maurice Bordreaux. They are witnesses to the fact that Marie bore a child . . . and she named Gaston as that child's father . . .as she was a virgin before he took her . . . a young woman of nineteen. So whatever you're implying happened between Mr. Harris and Marie is false. A simple paternity test will reveal that Gaston Devereaux is Gisella Bordreaux's natural father."

_Ha! Take that viper!_ he thought.

"We are aware of the child's paternity Doctor but don't you find it...odd that a complete stranger would leave an apartment and a large sum of money to complete strangers...unless it was in return for favors?"

"Perhaps he was a person who enjoyed helping others," Archie returned smoothly. "Not all men who have money are misers. Some like to help charity cases with their funds if they have no family. And perhaps he saw Marie as a struggling single parent and wanted to help her and her child out."

"Are you familiar with the private rooms at the Foxtrot, Doctor?"

"Yes. I . . . I was once in one of them." Archie answered.

'It was how you met Miss Bordreaux, wasn't it?"

Several women in the courtroom gasped. Doctor Hopper...in a strip club?

And dating an exotic dancer?

Archie nodded. "Yes. You see, I was there . . .Leroy and his brothers thought I should . . . err . . . have some fun . . . get out more . . . and I thought . .. I didn't know they were bringing me there, they never told me . . .but when we arrived . . . I . . . I couldn't leave, I had no transportation . . . and Marie . . .she asked me if I would like to go in one of those rooms . . .not to . . . do anything . . . but to talk. So I said yes . . . and we did."

His face was red and he was sure he was the color of a strawberry.

"Are you aware that Mr. Harris spent many nights with Miss Bordreaux in one of those private rooms?"

"Objection! Relevance!"

"Your Honor it is obvious from this document that Miss Bordreaux used her occupation to provide herself with a nest egg for her daughter and a place to live."

"Objection! Speculation!" Rumple shot back.

"Overruled. Continue please, Mr. Spencer."

"I can't let them do this to him...I can't…" Marie sobbed.

"Marie..."

"They don't know what really happened but it'll be enough to make him doubt me and I'll lose him!"

Marie jumped out of her seat and fled the courtroom.

"Your Honor I'd like to ask for a recess," Rumple said.

"We will resume after lunch," announced the judge.

"I'll go talk to her," Belle said to her husband.

Archie felt like he'd been thrown on the rack and stretched flat.

"Let me talk to her first, Archie," Belle pleaded.

Then she glanced over at her husband. "You are having this checked out...right?"

"Of course I am dearie. I just called Dove and asked him to do some discreet inquiries." He told her. Dove was what he was known as in this world, but in the Enchanted Forest he was Alexander, Rumple's shifter manservant.

"I wish someone would burn that damned club to the ground!" Archie growled.

"Unfortunately, it provides an occupation and a place for people to go for relaxation . . . and however much we don't like it, it's not something that was unknown in our land." Rumple sighed.

"No it wasn't but dammit! It does nothing but ruin lives!"

"You and I look at it like that, Archie, but anyone who patronizes that place doesn't," Rumple soothed. "Don't worry, I'll sort this out. What it looks like isn't always what it seems, dearie."

He raked a hand through his hair. "Why the hell didn't she tell me?"

"Perhaps she was ashamed to admit she took another man's money," Rumple speculated. "She's got a lot of pride, Hopper. She's not a dancer by choice . . . the curse made her one. And sometimes it's hard to admit the mistakes of the past to someone you love. I know that best of all."

"And it looks bad..."

"Yes, it does. But only to those who don't know the truth," Rumple said quietly. "And the people in this town are quick to judge by what it LOOKS like rather than consider facts. And they love good gossip."

"Oh they have plenty to do so about now!"

Rumple grimaced, his expressive face twisting in dislike. "They always do." He'd been the victim of more than his share of gossip over Belle's inability to have kids thanks to Ashley's disclosure of patient confidentiality.

"The next thing you know he'll bring up her giving you a lapdance!"

"I'm not on trial here, dearie, though it's a distinct possibility," Rumple agreed, knowing Spencer, he would.

The day of the manhood intervention Archie sided with the women and knowing most of the men involved he suspected they'd take Rumple to the Foxtrot and called Marie to ask a favor.

"Didn't you ever wonder how you ended up getting her?"

"Uh . . . I thought Belle called to tell her I'd be there."

"No, that was me. Though I was a bit...jealous because I was starting to have feelings for her."

Rumple smirked. "Understandable. But you had nothing to worry about, Hopper. My heart . . . and everything else belonged to Belle long before we were cursed."

"Good because you can get a lap dance from your wife next time not my girl!"

Rumple started laughing. "I might just well do that . . . once Belle delivers that is."

Marie was sitting on a bench weeping brokenly.

Before they got back in the courtroom she was going to ask Rumple to drop the case. No matter what evidence they had she would be seen as a whore who asked for what she got.

Belle came and sat down beside her. "You want to tell me what that was about back there? Who's this Mr. Harris Spencer mentioned?"

"He was an older man who used to come into the club...his wife died years before him and they loved each other deeply. He was lonely Belle and just needed a friend...that's all."

"Okay . . . and why did he leave you all of his wordly goods?"

"He had no other family...none that cared anyway..."

"His kids were waiting for him to die so they could inherit his money. What Spencer didn't read is he left the bulk of his fortune to breast cancer research which was what his wife died from!"

Belle nodded. "So it's like Archie said . . . he wanted to help you because he liked giving money to good causes. That's not something to be ashamed of. Why didn't you ever tell me . . . or Archie?"

She sighed. "I thought about but I was afraid you wouldn't believe me."

"And Gaston said...he said he could make it look like I was a gold digger..."

"So Gaston knew! How'd he find out, the prick?"

"He knew everything about me...where I was, what I did..."

She was constantly looking over her shoulder.

"Mr. Harris's death..."

His death was ruled an accident, a fall down the stairs.

Belle's eyes narrowed. "You think Gaston had something to do with it?"

"I know it in my heart ,Belle. He found out Gaston was watching me and was going to go to the police."

"It's too bad we can't prove it." Belle scowled. "But we CAN get him put away for what he's done to you. And we will. Rumple's going to make Spencer eat crow."

Bae was keeping his little cousin occupied by drawing funny pictures with her but there was one she drew that caught his attention. It was one she drew of her mother, Archie, Pongo, and herself. Then she added in Rumple, not the way he looked now but when he was still under the Dark Curse. She was smiling as she added some color to the dress her mother was wearing…and it looked like an Enchanted Forest one. Everyone was still recovering some of their memories from their lives there before the curse. He was starting to recall that he met her before and now it appeared she met his father before too.

"Where was this Gisella, that you met my papa?"

"At Granpappy's ball in the big castle," she answered and smiled. "I told him I'd make a deal with him if he helped me find a daddy. Then he got kinda quiet and said I would meet a man who would love me and Mommy a lot…he'd have red hair kind eyes and have a spotted doggie." She beamed. "An' it's Archie! He's gonna be my daddy forever n ever!"

Bae knew his father's Sight was rarely wrong and it wasn't a coincidence that Archie Hopper matched his father's description of the man who would be Gisella's new father perfectly. He put it along with the others she drew in a folder to give to Marie and Archie when they picked her up. He heard his phone ring.

"Hi, honey. How's it going?" Belle inquired softly.

"We're okay, Mama, just drawing. How's it going over there?"

"It's an uphill battle, Bae. Spencer is doing everything he can to drag Marie through the mud….and Archie too…even tried to pin her injuries on him."

"What a dick, though I'm not shocked, especially after what he did to Andi's parents back home. I hope Papa hands him and Gaston their balls on a plate."

"We're working on it. In the meantime, keep Gisella away from the TV or the radio. I don't want her hearing the awful things being said about Marie and Archie."

"Don't worry, Mama. I will."

"Put Gisella on. Her mom wants to talk to her."

Bae handed the phone to the little girl. "It's Mommy."

"Hello, sweetie," Marie said softly.

"Mommy, when are you and Daddy comin to get me? I like being here with Bae but I miss you."

"I know, honey. This will be over soon I promise."

"Kay. Can I talk to Daddy?"

Marie covered the receiver with her palm. "She wants to talk to Archie! What do I say? I screwed up again and she may not even HAVE a daddy now?"

"You don't know that!" Belle cried. "No matter what happens between you two…which I have full confidence you'll work out, he still considers Gisella his so let him talk to her." She grabbed the phone from her sister's hand and took it over to where Archie still stood talking to her husband. "Gisella wants to speak to you."

Archie smiled and reached for the phone.

"How's my princess?" he inquired.

"When you comin' home?"

"As soon as we can. Till then you can draw pictures with Bae and play with Pongo and Major. I'll tell you what: why don't you draw one of you me, Pongo and Mommy so I can hang it up in the office?" he suggested.

"We'll need to be getting back soon, Archie, or Thomas will hold us in contempt," Rumple said to him after he finished his call. He was glancing over at where Marie sat.

"I'll be along in a minute," he said softly and walked over to her, sitting beside her on the bench.

She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. "I don't know why you stay with me when I'm constantly screwing things up for us."

"Why didn't you tell me about Mr. Harris? I was blindsighted in there, Marie!" he cried.

"I know that…I was just afraid you'd think that we…"

"You heard what I said in there. It's what I believe. I knew from the night we met that you only spent that much time with a man his age because he just needed someone to talk to but others in this town…." He frowned. "They're always quick to assume the worst. And why do I stay? How many times do I have to tell you it's because _I love you_ for you to believe it…to believe in me?" He gripped her shoulders gently and turned her around so that they were facing each other and gazing deeply into each other's eyes. "We're going to finish this, Marie. Together. He's not going to hurt you anymore and neither is that viper defending him and I'll be right there with you when you go up on that stand and tell them everything he's done. Let them see the woman I do."

"Archie…" she whispered. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, the last of her fears fading away in an instant. "I love you so much…"

He wanted to stay out there but they knew they couldn't. Reluctantly they broke their kiss. "We need to get back," he sighed and stood up, reaching for her hand. She smiled and clasped it in hers. As they were walking back to Rumple and Belle, they noticed the other couple grinning.

"What?" Marie demanded.

"Let's just say a certain sleaze photographer will be thinking twice before he tries to put my sister's tender moments on the front page," Belle explained.

Archie frowned. "Someone was spying on us?"

"Oh don't worry dearie…we took care of it," Rumple assured him. He glanced over at Marie. "Are you ready?"

Marie leaned her head on Archie's shoulder. "I am now," she said softly.

Fortunately Spencer was done grilling Archie and he wanted to go home and wash the slime from his skin after what the man put him through on the stand but he wanted to be there for Marie who would take the stand next.

As Rumple approached the podium Spencer snickered. "Only a hick crackerjack lawyer wears bedroom slippers to court. Really Gold? You mean to tell me you can't afford a decent pair of shoes...or are your feet too fat now that your wife's knocked up!"

Archie rolled his eyes and shook his head. "How that man was ever a king is beyond me."

Rumple turned to face his opposing council. "Why, dearie, are you trying to say that because of my attire, which I have a medical condition to excuse it, that I'm some backwoods hick?" He smirked. "And that's supposed to offend me? Don't you know, Spencer, that I'm in good company . . .because Abraham Lincoln was another backwoods crackerjack hick attorney . . . and HE became President of the United States and is one of the pillars of this country." He bowed mockingly. "Thank you for comparison. I'm touched."

Laughter was heard from Rumple's side of the room.

"You tell him, darling," Belle encouraged.

"You won't become president of anything!"

The judge and jury entered the courtroom and Thomas pounded his gavel for order.

"Mr. Gold, are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution now calls Marie Bordreaux to the stand."

Marie trembled as she stood up, until Archie took her hand and gazed deeply into her eyes, the words he'd spoken to her just a bit ago replaying in her mind. She was not going to go through it alone.

Gaston glared daggers at her but she refused to back down. No, she was going sit there and tell them everything he'd done to her...without fear that he would ever hurt her again.

Rumple gave her an encouraging look, his brown eyes comforting. Come on, dearie, it's time to face the devil and spit in his eye, he thought.

_I'm taking back my life Gaston_, she thought angrily. _And this time I'm going to make it much better than the hell I had with you in it._

And now there were no more surprises Spencer could spring on them because she'd told them everything. If he tried, they would be exposed for the lies they were.

Now it was time to tell the jury everything and make them see her not as a whore but a woman who went through hell and back...and survived.

Once Marie had been sworn in, Rumple said, in his old fashioned gallant manner, "Miss Bordreaux, would you please tell the court, in your own words, to the best of your recollection, what occurred on the night of July 23rd?"

"I was on the phone leaving a message for Doctor Hopper...we...ahhh...quarreled earlier and I wanted to try to work things out...when I heard my daughter scream and my living room window was broken. I knew it was Gaston. He'd broken into my apartment a few times before. My first concern was for my daughter...I told her to lock herself in the bathroom...it had the strongest lock in the house."

"You said he'd done this before? How often?" Rumple queried.

"Sporadically...during the curse and after. It got worse when he saw me with another man, even if we were just friends."

"I see. So it appears that Mr. Devereaux has a problem with envy . . .and obsession," Rumple mused. "Go on. After you told Gisella to lock herself in the bathroom, what happened?"

"He came at me...he knew Archie...Doctor Hopper...spent the previous night at my apartment...and assumed we're sleeping together. I told him to get out and he grabbed my phone and broke it. Then he...he dragged me down the hall to my bedroom..."

Rumple gritted his teeth. He knew this was hell for her. "Did he say anything while he was doing this? Make any threats to you or remarks?"

"Yes. He told me that if I didn't give him what I was giving Doctor Hopper he would kill Gisella...Doctor Hopper...my sister and her baby."

Several people in the courtroom gasped.

"So he threatened the life of your family and loved ones unless you slept with him?" Rumple queried softly. "And did you believe he could carry out that threat?"

"Yes..."

"Tell me why. Was there a prior history of him threatening people and then harming them or killing them?"

"I can't prove it but...Mr. Harris...a friend of mine...Gaston once threatened him unless I stopped speaking to him."

"This is the man who left you his fortune in your will, correct?"

"Objection...hearsay!" barked Spencer.

"To which part Mr. Spencer?" Thomas asked.

"There is no evidence Mr. Harris's death was a homicide," Spencer argued.

"Sustained, the jury will disregard the previous testimony."

Spencer smirked at Rumple.

Rumple ignored him. He tried a new tack. "Back in our land, when you were Belle's handmaid . . .you knew Gaston . . .and how did he behave towards you once you were carrying his child? Why did you never reveal who it was who ruined you, Marie?"

"He...started making advances toward me shortly after his engagement to Belle was announced. She informed him right away that she would not sleep with any man unless she was married to him."

"At the time I was being courted by our father's scribe, Pierre. He was a kind boy but sickly."

She glared over at Gaston. "But HE...kept telling me I had no need of a near dead man when I could have a live one...I was appalled. I loved Pierre and didn't want him to die!"

Gaston gave her a cold smile and mouthed the word "slut" at her before Spencer could stop him.

Marie continued on, unafraid. Now she could finally get justice for Pierre if she couldn't for Jonas.

"Pierre's illness...which is what we call rheumatic fever today suddenly got worse...and his doctor was seeing symptoms he didn't recognize. He died two weeks before I became pregnant with Gisella."

"And was Gaston . . .making advances to you prior to that? Was he using his position as a lord knight to take advantage of you?"

"Yes."

"What did he say to you, Marie? Can you remember the exact words?" Rumple pressed. Come on, dearie, give me some fuel for the fire, so I can light it up and watch him burn!

"He said that if I ever told anyone he'd raped me he would denounce me as the village whore and had plenty of friends who could claim they had me too."

"He also said that Pierre took too long to die...the poison he gave him should have killed him in a day."

More gasps and muttering were heard from the spectators.

"Anything else? Did he threaten you if you told your father, Lord Maurice? Or Belle?

"Yes. He said to go ahead and tell Belle...he would just have both of us for his amusement. The day I planned to tell her the truth…you ahh...showed up and asked her to be your castle's chatelaine."

"So he threatened both you and your half-sister and admitted to poisoning your paramour so he could buy your silence for his deeds?"

"Yes."

"And what made you break your silence on the matter, Miss Bordreaux?"

"Ummm...hearing that you kicked him out of the castle...literally. At least to him being Sella's father...the rest...I want to be free of him!"

"As would anyone who has endured what you have," Rumple acknowledged. He turned back to face the jury. "So we have here prior examples of blackmail and murder to testify to Mr. Devereaux's murderous tendencies and intent to do grievous harm to my client on that night." He looked back at Marie. "How tall are you, Miss Bordreaux?"

"Umm about five four."

"That's not very big, is it, dearie?" he said. "And Mr. Devereaux, according to his mug shot, is at least six two. So we have a clear case of a much larger man assaulting a small woman. Repeatedly, as it was established he'd done so before. Miss Bordreaux, on the night of the 23rd, did Mr. Devereaux attempt to rape you . . .?"

"Yes, he did. but I wasn't going to let him touch me...not again! There's only one man I would ever want to touch me and he's not sitting in that box!" Marie said angrily, pointing at Gaston. Archie was blushing from his seat in the gallery.

"What did you do to defend yourself?"

"I...I hit him with my bedside lamp and got to the kitchen and grabbed a knife."

"Did he come after you?"

"Yes...I cut him a few times until he slammed my head on the floor...I blacked out. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital and seeing Doctor Hopper."

"And during that time, it can be seen by the hospital records, Mr. Devereaux brutally beat the unconscious Miss Bordreaux . . . and then went out to his car, attempting to leave the scene of the crime . . .but was apprehended by Miss Swan and Mr. Hatter as well as Dr. Hopper."

Rumple paced over to where the smug Gaston sat and pointed at him. "Furthermore, an investigation by the sheriff revealed that HE had a gun, unregistered and illegal, in his glove compartment! And it was loaded!"

The angry muttering swelled to a crescendo.

I'm doing it, Pierre...I'm making him pay... Marie thought.

Rumple continued. "Given this man's prior history of coercion, murder, and assault, it is easy to come to the conclusion that Mr. Devereaux might also have been going out to his car to get his gun and kill the helpless Miss Bordreaux and her child so there remained no witnesses to his crime!" Gold snapped.

"Fortunately, the sheriff and Dr. Hopper managed to arrive at that moment and prevent a tragedy from occurring. Or else we might have been all wearing mourning clothes today!"

"Your witness counsellor."

Marie took a deep breath. Go ahead bastard...do your worst.

"Miss Bordreaux, because some of these events occurred in our old world twenty eight years ago, you have no proof of them other than your word, don't you?"

"On the contrary, sir there are two people who can support my claim of poisoning on Pierre and that I had relations with no man prior to Gaston attacking me...Pierre's doctor and the midwife Antoinette."

Spencer was taken aback but he pressed on.

"And who can support your claim that you've never had relations with a man since then Miss Bordreaux? No one!"

"I won't deny that I have but the relationships never lasted."

"Because they were one night stands in the private room of the Foxtrot, weren't they Miss Bordreaux?"

"No! I have NEVER had sex with any of the customers!"

"But you have behaved provocatively with them...and two of them are in this courtroom right now...Doctor Hopper and Mr. Gold!"

Spencer glanced over at his opponent wondering how he was going to answer for that.

"At least one of these incidents was witnessed by more than one person. Did you or did you not perform a lap dance on Mr. Gold?"

"That was a setup that I worked out with him, his wife and Doctor Hopper. He'd been taken to the club against his will and the men who had him…wouldn't let him go back home until they saw him acting like he was enjoying himself but the whole time he thought about his wife. Were you actually out on the floor and not in the backroom with Zelena at the time you would've known that!"

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones...dearie," Rumple hissed, smirking at Spencer.

"I wasn't there," he insisted.

"Oh, weren't you? Why don't I subpoena the club's security recordings to find out…hmm?"

Spencer glared at him. "I have no further questions for this witness."

He would ruin her later with Zelena's help and a surprise witness.

Rumple turned and paced back to where the jury was seated. "I think it should now be clear to you what occurred on the night of July 23rd, and all of you gentlemen and ladies are astute enough to realize that Miss Bordreaux was in danger of having her life stolen and her person violated by that man over there in that chair, who is both a rapist and a murderer. Cast your vote, good citizens of Storybrooke . . . and put away this vile criminal for good and end his reign of terror . . .for if not, who knows . . . you might be next!" Rumple's eyes flashed. "Your Honor, the prosecution rests its case."

"Mr. Spencer, are you ready to proceed?"

Marie returned to her seat.

"I guess Spencer better get ready to eat crow," she joked to Belle. "He didn't think I'd call him out on being there the night of the manhood intervention, did he? He's one of Zelena's regulars."

"Oh IS he?" Belle murmured.

"Now that I think about it….I did see him there the night we met, sweetheart," Archie said to Marie. "Was he the one we heard Zelena with….?"

"It could've been but who knows…she sometimes had more than one man in the private room at a time."

Rumple snorted. "THAT doesn't surprise me."

To his delight the first witness Spencer called was Zelena. He was going to enjoy picking apart that poisoning whore.

Zelena sauntered into the courtroom wearing a skin tight emerald green dress with stiletto heels and a low cut bodice. She made it a point to turn so that she could get Archie and Rumple to look at her cleavage. Neither man was interested.

But their women wanted to have themselves a witch roast.

Even more disturbing was how she sat in the witness chair. Archie gagged.

"What's the matter, baby?" Marie asked softly.

"She's not wearing...oh God tell me I'm just seeing things...or I am going to have to soak my contacts in bleach!"

"You may as well buy a bottle, Archie. She's not," Rumple grumbled.

"I'm going to throw up..." Belle groaned.

She rushed out of the courtroom. Rumple looked ill also. "Your...Honor...may I be excused a moment..." he gulped.

"All right, Mr. Gold."

The women in the audience smiled dreamily.

"That's still so wonderful how he experiences everything with her," one said.

"I don't think either of them wanted to be sick over THAT," Archie whispered to Marie.

"I don't either but I'm not shocked. Zelena always wants to give guys easy access to the goods."

"Goods?! Now I'M going to be sick!"

"Just think happy thoughts, my Adonis…" Marie encouraged.

That did the trick. A few minutes later Rumple and Belle returned to the courtroom, both of them looking a little better. Rumple kept his eyes as far away from the vulgar display on the witness stand as possible…and so did the rest of the spectators.

The dancer spun quite the tale, claiming Marie was the one who had sex with men in the private room, two of them being Jonas Harris and Archie despite Marie's firm denials.

Spencer looked gleeful at that, then took his seat saying, "No further questions, Your Honor."

"Mr. Gold, your witness."

Rumple rose and approached the witness stand, averting his eyes from Zelena's blatant display of her assets. "So . . . you claim that you have some rather intimate knowledge of Miss Bordreaux's activities with her clients, Zelena? One wonders . . . how are you so knowledgeable? Have you ever seen, directly, Marie servicing her clients in those rooms? Or is something you assume because of her profession?"

His tone implied she was a hypocrite of the worst order.

"She has, especially with him!" She pointed at Archie.

"Both of them are under oath, Zelena. And both say they haven't. Are you saying they'd perjure themselves?" Rumple demanded sharply. "Not everyone has the proclivities you do, dearie . . . as evidenced by what you've got on today . . . or don't." He gave her a wicked sneer.

"Objection Badgering!"

"Sustained." Thomas scowled at Rumple.

"Let me rephrase that," Rumple sighed. But it had felt good to get in a dig at her, the ho! "What evidence do you have that Miss Bordreaux or Dr. Hopper is lying about the extent of their relationship? I want concrete facts, not speculation."

"I...I..."

"Go on. Did you ever see them . . .engaging in intimate activities?" Gold demanded.

"Right outside the courthouse!" The witch sneered.

"We only kissed!" Marie whispered to Belle.

"We know that, honey we were there."

Rumple arched an eyebrow. "You said you knew that Miss Bordreaux and Dr. Hopper engaged in physical intimacy inside a private room at the Foxtrot. And she also did so with Mr. Harris. Now, I'll ask you again, what proof do you have to support that theory? And I don't want to hear that's what you THINK . . . I want PROOF. Show me evidence that they lied, Zelena."

He pinned her with his glare. "Are there cameras hidden in those rooms? If so then why did you not bring the recording along to support your claim?" he demanded.

"She may not have with him but she did with YOU!" The jealousy in her tone was quite evident. "Just like her sister..."

Belle grinned. She'd just dug her own grave.

Rumple was amused. "Belle is my wife. It's perfectly natural for a wife to have relations with her husband. Besides, I'm not the one on trial here, dearie. And I assure you there were plenty of witnesses that night to assure you that she refute any and all claims to trying to seduce me right in front of Sheriff Swan there. I was there against my will . . .as anyone will attest to. But that's irrelevant, Zelena. So Marie did not lie when she said she had no relations with Archie . . . or most likely Mr. Harris either. Therefore . . . most of your testimony is hearsay, dearie. isn't it? All your claims are pure speculation. No facts. No proof. Therefore they can be dismissed."

Spencer snapped the pencil he was holding in two.

Rumple shook his head in disappointment. "It's so hard these days to find reliable witnesses, isn't it?"

He couldn't risk calling any more of his bought witnesses or even Gaston. "The defense requests a conference in chambers." He growled.

"We've got him sweetheart," Archie said softly.

"It means Rumple has him over a barrel and is going to paddle his ass!" Belle whispered. "His whole case was based upon trying to discredit you as a whore . . . but if he can't prove it . . . his case just fell apart," she told her sister gleefully.

"Oh I hope so! I want this to be over!"

Archie did as well. He wanted this whole thing to be resolved and Gaston brought to justice. Then he wanted to go home with his family and celebrate their new life together.

The two attorneys and the judge retired to his chambers.

"I hope he gets a long prison term." Marie mused.

"He'd have to sweetheart...and no parole board would even think of granting that to him based on what he's done." Archie said.

Belle, Archie and Marie met up with Rumple in the hall.

"Is it over?" Marie asked hopefully.

"As soon as I present this to the judge, it is," Rumple assured her. "We've won, dearie! You're free!"

Archie laughed joyfully and picked Marie up spinning her around.

"Oh! Be careful...!"

"You're as light as a feather, my goddess."

"I love you..."

"I am so proud of you darling...You did it again," Belle congratulated her husband.

Marie threw her arms around her brother in law as soon as Archie set her back on her feet.

"I don't know how to thank you…" she sobbed.

Rumple hugged her and patted her back. "This is thanks enough . . . that the bastard is behind bars and you're free of him forever and so is Gisella. Don't cry, dearie. Or else I'll start."

"I...already am..." Belle wept.

Rumple's own eyes misted. "Ahh . . . now look what you've started!" he pretended to be annoyed, but he was grinning.

"May as well join in Rumple," Archie said, tears in his own eyes.

The attorney allowed a few tears to fall from his eyes too. After all he was with family and they understood.

"I think we should all have a nice family dinner tonight," Belle suggested. "After all...we do have something to celebrate."

"I agree," Rumple said, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief. "Who's cooking?"

The women smirked. "You both are."

"What are you making, Archie?"

He thought for a moment. "Well I was thinking chicken parmesan...you can handle that, can't you?"

"Can I handle it? Hopper, what do you think I am . . .a dullard? I'll make the pasta and sauce . . . I'll have time if I speed it up a little with magic . . . and garlic bread."

"No magic!" Archie scolded. "If I have to do it the old fashioned way, so do you!" he challenged.

"Then we'll be eating at 10 o'clock!" Rumple shot back. "I don't make jar sauce, dammit!"

"Neither do I."

"Baby, he's right...your sauce takes hours to do."

"If I started it this morning, fine, but it's past two o'clock," Rumple sighed. "Otherwise d'you think I'd use magic?"

"Fight nice boys..." Belle teased.

"Oh I'll let it slide...for now…but if he enters the cook off he better not cheat."

Rumple glared at him. "I never cheat! What cook off?"

"The chili cookoff Granny hosts...Archie has been the champion for years," Marie said proudly.

"Hmm . . . I never participated in that. Not really my thing. Now a bakeoff . . . I can beat the pants off anybody . . .my chocolate peanut butter cookies are like Nirvana on a plate."

"Oh really?" Archie quirked an eyebrow.

"Really, dearie. And you'll see when the shower comes."

"Honey...you don't want Gisella to tell them what your brownies looked like…"

"Okay so I can't bake worth a damn."

"I can't do anything except eat the food," Belle laughed. "So don't feel bad."

"Well when your daughter wants to use your brownies to play hockey it's a bit harsh..."

"At least she didn't throw them out on the road and declare them roadkill!"

"And neither of you made a stove fly out the window!" Rumple informed them laughing.

"Who did that?!" Archie exclaimed.

"Guilty," Belle sang.

"It was back in the Dark Castle," her husband said. "And it's why she's only allowed in the kitchen to make tea."

"Oh gods...I wish I'd hopped in the castle while I was a cricket to see THAT...I would've laughed my wings off!"

"You'd still be laughing," Rumple agreed. "Bae almost wet himself."

"Knowing Belle it had to be because of her temper...she's got a nasty one. Love you sis," Marie added.

"Aye, but to be fair . . . I was being a bit of a rascal and teasing her."

"It runs in the family...she and Sella can make me run for cover when they get in a snit."

"Then you're lucky you married men who are calm and even tempered," Rumple smiled. "Mostly."

"I did...now when are you two going to tie the knot?" Belle asked.

"When I feel she's ready Belle."

Little did he know it would take a former witch's vengeful potion introduced into his tea a week later that would accelerate things a bit.

"Well, let's go home...I want to see my Sella..."

When they stepped out of the courthouse they were shocked to see the Furious Women of Storybrooke chasing Spencer around.

Several of them held bags of feathers.

"How dare you! How DARE you do that to that poor woman!"

"You oughta be strung up by your balls!"

"He's got it coming from ME too!" yelled Barbara Allen.

"Hang his ass on the flagpole!"

The two couples watched the scene their mouths agape.

"Watch out Sheriff Swan might..."

"I'M PART OF THE MOB!"

"Oh...my God...!" Belle giggled.

"I warned him once . . .women aren't the weaker sex at all . . ." chortled Rumple. "Now he's finding that out the hard way."

"Oh I'll say..." Archie chuckled.

They finally managed to corner the lawyer, coat his clothes with glue and throw the feathers on him.

"Maybe we ought to give them a few pointers," giggled the former Dark One. "Hey, dearies! Do you need a rail?"

"Any man who hurts a woman in ANY way is a CHICKEN...AND A COWARD!"

Regina, who was watching the scene, stepped up to Rumple. "Shall we?"

"Yes . . .I've wanted to do this for a long time."

"Don't tire yourself, darling..." Belle said gently.

"With me anchoring him it won't drain him," Regina informed her.

The two mages combined their powers, creating a rail on the street for the angry women.

"Time to get on your horse, Spencer!" hooted Barbara.

"You tell him honey!' Snow encouraged.

Marie stepped forward, raised her foot and kicked him in the groin.

"Hope that hurts as much as you hurt me for what you said about me and my Archie, you bastard!"

"Here, dearie!" Rumple twirled his finger and a familiar broom appeared in his hands. "Go join the party."

Belle smiled evilly and took her faithful companion in her hands.

"Save some for me, ladies..."

"It take she's ummm...lethal with that thing?" Archie asked.

"You have NO idea!" her husband smirked wickedly. "She could send a battalion of ogres fleeing for their lives."

"HOMERUN!" hooted Emma as Belle delivered a hard smack to Spencer's backside.

The group chased the feathered attorney down the street except for Belle and Marie who rejoined their men.

"We've worked up an appetite and need to be fed," Belle said to her husband.

"Yes, dearie," Rumple laughed. He patted her belly. "I suppose you're hungry too, aren't you, baby Gold?"

Her stomach growled in response.

"I'll take that as a yes," Gold grinned. "Okay, a stor," he murmured to the baby. "Your papa's cooking."

"What's that mean?" asked Marie.

"Tis Gaelic, lass. For my treasure," Rumple replied.

"That's so sweet," she said softly.

Rumple smiled. Then he started laughing as he saw that the mob had put Spencer on the rail and were running him, literally, out of town.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish I always say," Archie said bitterly and put his arm around Marie's shoulders.

Rumple dusted off his hands. "That's what happens when you get a woman really angry, dearie!" Then he started laughing again. "I'm surprised they don't have Zelena there with him."

"She probably ran with her tail between her legs back to the Foxtrot," said Belle.

"She did just lose her gravy train," Marie pointed out.

"And speaking of gravy...get cooking!"

"Let's go back to the house," Rumple said his arm around Belle. "I'm sure Bae's already eaten the cupboard bare."

Archie and Marie followed them out to the car, feeling that the darkest chapter of their lives was over and a new one, a better one was just beginning.


	9. Alive Again

9

~ Alive Again ~

_Yesterday I would not have believed_

_That tomorrow the sun would shine_

_Then one day you came into my life_

_I am alive again…_

Chicago – Alive Again

When they did arrive home Bae and Gisella were out in the yard with the dogs playing fetch.

Pongo and Major were trotting about the yard, each holding onto one end of the same big stick.

"C'mon...bring it back!"

Both dogs ran over to Gisella and dropped the stick at her feet, wagging their tails.

"Good doggies...now…you wanna get it again?"

Major barked.

"Okay...goooo get it!" She tossed the stick.

As the stick flew through the air and both dogs raced after it, the Cadillac pulled up.

"Bae! They're home!" Gisella cried excitedly.

Bae turned and jogged over to the car. "So . . . how'd it go? You win?"

"Princess?" Archie called for his daughter.

"Daddy! Mommy!" The little girl raced over to her parents, nearly knocking them down.

"How could you doubt it, Bae? Your father won't settle for anything less in a case like this," Belle said.

"I don't," her son laughed and hugged them all.

"Did you have fun with Bae?" Marie asked her daughter.

"Uh huh...an I drew a picture...see?"

She handed them the Enchanted Forest picture she drew. Then she looked up at Rumple. "You told me who my daddy would be."

"Yes, I did. But I wasn't sure if I was right. Now I guess I was, huh?" He picked her up and hugged her. "How would you like to help me make garlic bread?"

"Are you gonna help cook too, Daddy?"

"I certainly am."

She made a face. "Uncle Rumple...you gotta teach Daddy how to make brownies right...I don't wanna eat hockey pucks."

"I'll try, dearie. And chocolate chips too," he grinned. "Shall we have that for dessert?"

"Oh thanks a LOT Sella," her father grumbled.

"Well you do and if you mess em up again I'm throwing them out on the road and yelling "Get Your Roadkill!'"

"I can make chocolate shakes," Bae started laughing. "I remember once I told my mama, Milah, that her biscuits were like rocks," he recalled. "And she told me I was a cheeky brat . . .and spanked my butt. And you had a fit, Papa."

"Daddy doesn't spank me...unless I'm really bad."

"Most of the time a time out sets you straight."

"That worked for him too . . . most of the time," Rumple nodded at his son. "That's why I was angry at Milah. Because that's not something I'd have spanked him for. Kid was being honest. I almost broke my teeth."

"I'm banned from the kitchen except for teatime..." Belle said.

"Surely you can help me do Jello molds without causing chaos!" Maire said to her sister.

"You hope!" Bae snickered.

"Oh come on...how hard is it?"

"What kind of milkshakes do you want?" he asked then. "Vanilla or chocolate?"

"We'll have chocolate ones," said Marie, indicating herself and Archie.

"You may as well make one big one for them...they'll share it anyway and make out." Gisella said.

"Papa will too," Bae said knowingly, then cracked up again.

Archie frowned. "That means a certain little girl was up past her bedtime."

"I had to go to the bathroom! And what did Mommy mean when she said you had a hickey when you got home from the drive in?"

"Well I see a LOT of things run in the family!" Belle giggled.

Bae was holding his sides and leaning against the Cadillac, hysterical.

The couple was blushing.

"Well...they were having a John Wayne movie night and one of them was McLintock...our favorite..."

They both smiled as they remembered that night two days before the trial began…

They'd only been sitting in the car with his arm around her shoulder until after the mud fight scene was over but all that time she was thinking about how much she wanted to kiss him, unaware he was having the same thoughts until his lips were on hers and he'd pulled her onto his lap. Mina advised him in one of their individual counseling sessions that he limit their physical contact with each other for a while so that she didn't feel frightened while advising Marie in a separate session that she not rush back into intimacy with Archie, allow herself time to heal. Marie felt she didn't need space, she needed him.

"Much better," she murmured. "I missed having you hold me close like this…"

"I wanted to give you some space….after what happened."

"I didn't need space…I needed you. I always feel safe in your arms."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you again, Marie."

"It was my fault. I should've listened to you."

"I should've stayed."

"Rumple was right Archie. Had you stayed, both of us would've been in the hospital or dead. Now Gaston's where he belongs."

"And we're going to keep him there."

And they had thanks to Rumple.

"What's THAT gotta do with a hickey? What's a hickey, Mommy?" Gisella was asking, pulling them both back into the present.

_Ohh just a little mark  
every couple has to think of a creative way to explain away. And…a little Property of Marie tattoo of my own. _

"Okay, Little Miss Curiosity," Rumple said, trying to distract her. "Help me make the bread and the sauce . . before we starve tonight."

"Kay!"

"Now, I need you to get the butter and the loaf of bread, and I'll get the garlic," Rumple told her. "Bae, come in here and get me the cans of tomato puree and crushed tomatoes."

Archie took off his jacket and put an apron on over his shirt. "Do you have any chicken thawed Rumple?"

Marie and Belle stood in the doorway with identical smiles on their lips.

Gisella set the loaf of bread on the counter in front of her uncle along with the butter.

Then she looked over to see her father hitting chicken breasts with a meat mallet. "Why are you beating the chicken up, daddy?"

"Have to...flatten it."

"Now watch me chop the garlic, dearie," Rumple said, and removed a very sharp knife from his butcher block. He began chopping up the peeled garlic bulb in quick strokes, mincing it neatly.

"That's gonna go on the bread like that?"

"It is, once I melt the butter and stir it together. Then you brush it on, along with some parsley, garlic powder and some parmesan cheese," Rumple said.

Archie passed over a bowl of cheese he'd just finished grating. "You need more than that?"

"No, that's good, thanks." Rumple finished chopping up the garlic, then melted the butter in his microwave. "So . . .after you chop up the garlic, you mix it with the butter . . .but you're not allowed to touch my knife, Gisella. Do that and you'll be in serious trouble with me."

"I know Daddy tells me not to either."

"And what else are you not allowed to touch?" her father quizzed.

"The stove."

Bae nodded. "Yeah you don't wanna get burned like I did." He showed her a small scar on his right wrist. "Got that because I didn't listen."

"Ouch! I almost did and Daddy got mad."

"Because that is what happens when you do," Archie said, pointing at Bae's scar.

"I was around your age when I got that," Bae recalled. "I thought I could get tea by myself . . .and instead I spilled boiling water on my wrist because the teapot was too heavy. I never did that again."

"I tried to turn the burner up cause the steak he was cooking was taking too long."

"Bae, you nearly gave me heart failure several times," Rumple sighed.

"And you, Princess almost burned our house down," Archie scolded.

"That was when he had to spank me," Gisella said.

Archie shook his head as he remembered that day. He'd only walked out of the kitchen for a few minutes and turned the burner down but when he walked back in, the kitchen was filled with smoke and his daughter had the door open trying to air the room out.

"What happened?!" he cried then he saw the knob on the burner turned all the way up. He turned it back down and pulled the skillet off the stove. "Gisella Bordreaux Hopper, what did I tell you about not touching my stove?" he asked sharply.

"Ummm…I was hungry."

"You almost burned the house down!"

Marie came into the kitchen. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "Sella, what have you done?"

"I….wanted the food to cook faster."

"And Daddy's told you…time and again you are not allowed to touch the stove. And we've told you what we have to do if you did that."

The little girl's hands covered her bottom.

"Archie sighed. "Princess, I don't like it any better than you do….so don't make me do this again," he pleaded, giving her three swats and one for remembrance then put her in the corner for five minutes.

"Yeah, Papa would have done it to me . . .but my burn hurt worse than any spanking," Bae said, opening the cans of sauce for his father.

"You need any help, Daddy?"

"No, I'm fine Princess." Archie was mixing up his special breading.

"You can help me get the spices," Rumple said. "Do you know your spices, Sella?"

"Show him, Sella," her father said with a smile.

"What'cha need?"

Rumple called out a spice. "Oregano! Parsley! Garlic Powder! Basil!"

Archie watched with pride as his daughter retrieved the items from the spice rack just like he taught her to do.

Bae went and got the sea salt and the crushed red pepper flakes. "Here, Papa."

She set them all down on the counter in the order he called them out.

"Very good!" Rumple said. "How did you know where they were?"

"Cause I get them for Daddy all the time."

"Excellent! Bae, get me a Vidalia onion."

Archie was dipping the chicken breasts into his breading mixture and laying them out in a glass baking dish he'd sprayed. Once that was finished he put them in the oven and shredded more parmesan and mozzarella cheese, setting the oven timer for fifteen minutes.

Gold chopped an onion into small pieces and added it along with two cans of water and the sauce to a large pot. He sprinkled in all the spices he'd gotten from Gisella and the salt and a small bit of red pepper from Bae. "Now . . . I'm going to speed this up a bit with magic . . .so it cooks faster, otherwise this will take hours."

"There's nothing more sexy than a man that can cook," Marie said dreamily.

He set his hands on the pot and concentrated. There was a flicker of purple magic . . . and then Gold set the pot on the stove and turned the burner on to simmer. "An hour and it'll be done."

"You'll need to Rum...these just need to bake with the cheese and then I'll be ready for the sauce."

"Yes, let me boil the water for the pasta," he said, and got another large pot out and filled it with water, salt and a dash of olive oil then set it on the stove also to boil. He set a large strainer in the sink. "Bae, Sella, set the table, please."

"Now remember your settings Sella!" her father called out.

"Ummmm...I'm not allowed to touch knives Bae. Daddy says so."

"Right. Okay, I'll get those," he amended. "You get the cups . . . they're plastic," he indicated the shelf where there were colorful tumblers in different colors.

Fortunately it was low enough for the child to reach.

Bae set the plates down on the table, gently nudging a dog out of the way with his foot. "You wanna fold the napkins?"

"Uh huh!"

She'd been practicing her folding since he taught her how to do it. "This okay?"

"Brilliant!" Bae nodded. "Mama taught me how to do that."

"Daddy was going to teach me till I told him you showed me how."

"It's not hard," her cousin said, setting down the knives.

"He's very good with her," observed the psychiatrist.

"Bae likes kids. Like his father," Belle said.

"I never thought...back in our world and to some extent here...I'd ever have a chance to be a father..."

"And how do you like it?" asked Rumple curiously.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything even being a cricket again. It was a lonely life."

Rumple nodded. "Family is the best thing."

"Marie...Belle...ummmm would you mind going into the dining room for a bit... I need to talk to Rum..."

Marie smirked. "Man talk?"

"Something like that."

Rumple looked at him inquiringly after the two sisters had left the kitchen.

"I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out when and how to ask Marie to marry me and that I want to adopt Sella but when I try to do it...I lose my nerve."

"Ah. I know how that feels. It took Maurice's harvest ball to get me to do it. Actually . . . it took Belle almost dying by Zelena's hand to even get me to admit I loved her."

"Oh I already know I love her...but I don't want to rush her into commitment...especially after..."

"Then perhaps you just need to wait for the right moment," the other suggested. "You'll know when the time is right."

"And it's so hard being in the same house...her room not far away..."

Rumple nodded. "I know. For us it was even worse . . .some of the furniture in my castle was enchanted by my predecessor . . . and they talked about everything!"

"The only gossip I have to deal with is from the busybodies in this town who think I need my own therapist for getting involved with her."

"They'll hush once they start thinking about something else."

"I just don't want her dragged through the mud any more than she was during the trial."

"Then you need to practice your meditation, Hopper," Rumple smirked. "Or ask her soon."

"I feel like I'm back to being the son of my thieving gypsy parents...can't do anything on my own...have to be told..."

"But you're not. Just like I'm not the village spinner coward. And with the results of this trial . . . i think opinions in this town will change pretty quickly towards her."

"I hope so. She needs that."

"The one good thing that dirty dog Spencer did was show Marie as the innocent victim in this whole thing with Gaston. And now people will stop thinking of her as a loose woman."

"One thing that bothered me is people accusing her of trying to change me because I'm dressing differently, don't wear my glasses that often and go to self-defense classes."

"They've said the same thing about me," Rumple said. "They claimed Belle had me whipped. What they don't understand is that nothing can MAKE you change-it has to come from in here," he tapped his heart. "You have to WANT it. And I did. I changed back to the man I was before the Dark One. Which was a man who loved a woman and wanted to be the best he could be . . .for her, for Bae, and for me."

"Before the curse broke...I started getting tired of being on Regina's leash over Henry..."

"I can see how you would be. The Mills women . . . are very demanding . . ." Rumple said wryly."In fact, they can be downright bitchy," the pawnbroker remarked.

"And then…that night when the dwarves dragged me off to the Foxtrot and I saw her...I thought I was seeing Aphrodite herself but I'm no Adonis."

"To her you are. Like Belle, she sees your heart, not what's on the outside. For so long I was convinced I was a monster that no one could love, I was hideous and ugly. But Belle . . . she saw my heart . . . and she made me see that despite my scales and claws, I was still beautiful to her."

Archie looked over at Gisella's drawing that he hung on the refrigerator to look at while he cooked.

"Did you really See me being her father?"

"I did. But my Sight is not always reliable . . . meaning sometimes things don't happen as I See them . . . or they happen differently or not at all. Visions don't always mean what you think they do. Seeing is an imprecise art."

"But in this case it was..."

"Yes. But I still wasn't sure . . . and then a few months later the Dark Curse was cast . . ."

"Most of that time is a blur for me."

"As it is for me."

"The only bright spots in it were being with Henry...and seeing Gisella in the park before I met her mother."

"Mine was finding Bae in my shop trying to rob me . . .and discovering Belle was Bae's reading teacher."

"He's come a long way from the smart ass you brought to my office. He lifted a few things while he was there too."

"Oh gods! What were they?"

"A paperweight and a pen set."

"I'll get him to give them back."

Archie chuckled. "I bought them back from your shop." He grinned. "And I added it to your bill."

"That kid! I could throttle Regina sometimes for doing what she did. He was a scamp before, but not dishonest. But I'm working hard to remind him of the way he used to be."

"Be glad you got him out before that fight...I'm still treating some of those kids."

"I can imagine. The gods were kind to me, Archie. I could have lost him."

The timer to the oven went off.

"But you didn't," he said, putting on his oven mitts

Rumple stirred his sauce and then put the pasta in the water. "No. And I got Belle back too."

"That sauce ready enough for me to top these?"

"Yes. Go ahead." Rumple handed him the ladle.

He carefully ladled sauce on each chicken breast and added mozzarella and parmesan cheese, putting the dish back in the oven and setting the timer for ten more minutes.

"I still can't believe it's finally over…that I'm free," Marie was saying to Belle in the living room. Belle reached across the sofa and took Marie's hand in hers.

"Believe it. And now you can start a new life with a wonderful man. I couldn't have asked for anyone better to be with you than Archie. I just wish you two would've met back in our land without him being a cricket."

"About that….Belle, this may sound strange but I've been having dreams…and have seen…visions if you will of meeting him while he _was_ a cricket and I'm not trying to kill him with the broom in them."

"That is strange because you hate insects."

"I know. Belle, what if we did meet back in our world and we can't remember it because of the curse?"

"The Dark Curse or the Curse of the Broken Hearted?"

"Does it matter? My point is….I was drawn to him from the moment we met in the Foxtrot and I don't know why. He wasn't the kind of man my cursed self looked at before. And now I remember we used to talk on the phone a lot when he called in to Doctor Doolittle's office to set up appointments for Pongo or have him seen after he got into something and I loved the sound of his voice. He even said he preferred talking to me more than anyone else."

"That's better than Rumple and me. He used to call me his least favorite pain in the ass, remember? Even if you did meet before and don't remember it, the important thing is that you're together now and you love each other. Hopefully _soon_ you'll be making good on that promise to let me be in your wedding."

"He hasn't asked me yet and probably by that time you'll want to be sitting rather than standing."

"So? You owe me, sis."

"I know…and I'm sorry Belle. If it's any consolation Archie wasn't happy with me over that either."

"Good! Let's go see if those boys of ours will let us back into their domain. Is it safe to come in yet?" Belle called out as she poked her head into the kitchen.

"Yes. We're done telling each other our deep dark secrets," Rumple chuckled.

By the time the chicken was done, so was the penne and Rumple ladled sauce over it and set it on the table. The garlic bread was done also and he sliced it and put it on a plate. "Dinner!" he called to the children in the den.

Gisella ran into the room until she was given a stern Look from her parents.

"Everything looks delicious," Belle said.

"Oh it will be," Marie murmured.

Bae poured drinks for everyone, then fed Major and Pongo so they wouldn't beg at the table. Afterwards he sat down next to Gisella and said, "Looks great, guys! Now can I eat? I'm fading away."

"Nuh uh...if you was I'd see your bones."

Bae tweaked her nose. "Smartypants. Want me to cut up your chicken?"

"Sure!"

Bae did so, then took two pieces himself and a rather large serving of pasta and two slices of garlic bread. Lately he was always starving.

"Where are you planning on putting all of that? We're the ones supposed to have an appetite?' Belle teased.

"Don't worry, I'll eat it all," her son assured her. "I don't waste food."

"Growth spurt," Rumple said sagely.

"Oh that...the joys and pains of it." Archie grimaced.

"I never had much of one," Rumple remarked. "Was starved too much as a little boy thanks to my rotten papa."

"I had to work off mine picking pockets...not that I enjoyed it."

"Daddy! That's bad!" Gisella scolded.

Bae flushed. "He's not the only one. When I was a Scorpion . . . I could steal the fillings outta your teeth and the shirt off your back and you wouldn't know till you felt the wind blow."

"Like a pen set and a paperweight?" Archie joked.

Bae went red. "Umm . . yeah." He gave the therapist a guilty apologetic look.

"We're not all perfect, Gisella, we make mistakes in life but we learn from them and teach others not to repeat them...so you remember what we teach you," Marie said.

"And no matter what, your family forgives you for making them," Rumple stressed.

"You still should be in time out," the little girl said.

"Sella eat."

Bae smirked. Then he began to eat eagerly.

"This chicken is excellent," Rumple said, eating his piece.

"Thank you Rumple."

"I told you Belle...your husband has competition," Marie bragged.

"In the same family it's not completion, dearie. It's cooperation," the sorcerer laughed, as he ate his penne.

"Besides...I'll make him a deal...if he wants my breading recipe he has to improve my baking skills so my daughter stops declaring my efforts roadkill."

"You have a deal, Archie. You watch me make my brownies after dinner," Rumple agreed. Then he lifted a glass in a toast. "To our family . . .and victory over that scumbag Gaston and Spencer."

The others lifted their own glasses in salute.

"Is the bad man gonna be someone's prison bitch?" asked Gisella.

Archie spit out his milkshake. "Gisella!"

Bae almost choked on his garlic bread.

Marie scowled. "Someone has an appointment with Dove soap after dinner."

Rumple shook his head. "Dearie, where did you hear that?"

"Eti the Yeti...he said Mommy was gonna be one."

"That miserable b-" Bae began.

"Baelfire!" Rumple snapped. "You want to taste Ivory instead of brownies, mister?"

"No sir," his son said, bowing his head.

"Daddy I don't wanna taste soap."

"You heard your mother...after dinner."

"Awww!" she groaned.

"Do you want time out with that?"

"No. Sorry." she sniffled.

Bae shot his cousin a commiserating look. Sometimes it sucked being a kid . . . but he wouldn't trade his family for anything.

Belle and Marie took the kids into the living room to watch TV while Rumple conducted baking lessons with Archie in the kitchen after dinner.

When they were finished Archie brought his brownies out to his harshest critic to try.

"She's going to toss them right out on the road...I know it…"

Gisella bit into one . . .and chewed slowly. Then she looked at her daddy. "They're good!"

"Oh thank the gods!" He breathed a sigh of relief.

Rumple laughed. "I've never known anyone yet who's turned up their nose at my brownies."

And they all agreed.

"Come on Sella, it's time to do your schoolwork," Archie said to his daughter the following afternoon. She'd been out of school since her mother's attack but Marie, Belle and Snow were helping her keep up her studies and when none of them were around Archie went over her work with her.

"I wanna watch Barney!" she complained.

"You can watch Barney after you do your homework."

"Wanna watch it now!" she pouted, stomping her foot.

"Gisella, if I have to count to three you're going in the corner," Archie threatened.

"Not doing it!"

"One!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"All right…two!"

She held her ground.

"Three! That's it. Corner…five minutes. Go!" he ordered.

"No!"

He picked her up and placed her in the corner facing the wall. "You're not going to be a brat today. Five minutes young lady and if you throw another tantrum you're not going to be watching Barney or anything for a week."

She came out of the corner five minutes later, her head bowed in shame. "M'sorry Daddy."

He hugged her. "It's all right, Princess. Come on. Let's get your school work done."

After she finished her schoolwork he went into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea and her a grilled cheese sandwich to snack on while she watched Barney. He stepped out of the kitchen for a few minutes to use the bathroom unaware that Zelena had been hiding in basement, able to get past the ward on the house by using a charm she'd stolen out of Regina's vault and the ingredients for the potion she dumped into the pot of tea sitting on the counter. Gaston couldn't get to them from prison but she could. She tried to find something in the vault to help her break Gaston out of prison but no such luck. As soon as she heard him return to the kitchen she ran out of the house and down the street.

Archie put his cup of tea and the sandwich on a tray and carried it into the living room. Gisella was sitting on the floor watching Barney.

"Ooh you made the pizza one. Thanks Daddy!" she cried and hugged him.

"You're welcome Princess."

"Gotta go to the bathroom. Pongo, you stay away from my sandwich, kay?" she instructed the Dalmatian as she walked out into the hall. He snorted and rested his head on his paws.

Archie chuckled and took a sip of his tea, feeling sharp pains in his stomach. He fell over onto the coffee table and the cup dropped to the floor. The room seemed to enlarge before his eyes. When he looked down he discovered to his horror that he now had the body of a cricket.

"No! No, no no!" he cried. "This can't be happening! Not now!"

_What did you do?_ he heard Pongo ask in his head.

"I didn't do anything! Pongo, I can't be like this again! I just can't!"

_Calm down. We need to get hold of Rumple and see if he can change you back. _

"Calm down? You're telling me to CALM DOWN when I'm a goddam cricket again! I'd rather DIE than live like this!" he screamed.

_Well sitting there having a fit isn't going to help things! _

"Pongo, I can't lose my family…" he sobbed.

_I'm gonna go get Gisella and have her call Rumple…or someone. _

The Dalmatian raced down the hall to the bathroom and nearly knocked the child down. "Pongo, what's wrong?" she asked. When she walked into the living room she saw everything on the coffee table scattered all over the floor including her father's teacup. "Daddy!" she cried. She ran over to the cordless phone and dialed 911.

"Somebody took my daddy!" she screamed and explained what happened to the dispatcher. After she spoke to the operator she called her mother in tears.

"What do you mean Daddy's missing?" cried Marie.

"Somebody took him, Mommy," she wailed.

"I'm on my way sweetie."

"What's wrong, Marie?" Mina asked her.

"S…Someone's….taken Archie!" she cried. "C…Call my sister…and Rumple….I…I need to find him!"

Mina calmed Marie down and had Jack call Belle and Rumple for her. They picked her up at the office and Belle sat in the backseat comforting her.

"It was Gaston…I know it…he had something to do with this…he'll never leave us alone…" Marie wept. "What if they had him…oh God Belle…"

"We'll find him, Marie," Rumple vowed. "And if Devereaux had something to do with this, he'd better start writing his will!"

Back at the house Gisella sat down on the sofa to wait for her mother. She grabbed the broom from the kitchen closet, ready to beat up the people who took her daddy if they came for her. Archie flew onto the sofa beside her.

"EEEEEWWWW A BUG! GIT OUTTA HERE!" she screamed, swinging at Archie with the broom. He jumped off the sofa.

"Gisella...it's me...aaah dammit what the hell IS IT with these Bordreaux women and brooms!" he cried, taking flight, an image of Marie chasing him with a broom in Rumple's castle back in their land flashing before his eyes. How was that possible? He didn't meet her when he was a cricket...or at least he didn't think he did yet he kept having visions of the two of them.

"Gross! I hate bugs! Go 'way!" She kept swinging while Archie dodged her blows by flying in the opposite direction.

"Sella, it's Daddy!" Archie yelled as loud as he could in his small voice only she couldn't hear him. She raced after him, swinging the broom like a professional baseball player, barely missing him a few times. "Sella….!" he cried when the broom caught one of his wings and sent him crashing onto the coffee table. "I cannot believe this…I'm going to be killed by my own daughter!"

"You git!" she yelled.

Marie, Rumple and Belle ran into the house a few minutes later along with Emma. When they saw the cricket in the room there was no doubt in their minds it was Archie but they couldn't understand how or why he was a cricket again.

"Gisella, stop that's your father!" Belle cried just as the upset child was about to smack him with the broom. Marie quickly snatched it away. Archie breathed a sigh of relief.

"What? But...but he's a bug!" she wailed.

"I know sweetie, I know..." Rumple said softly.

"Uncle Rumple, fix him!" The little girl sat down and burst into tears. "I don't wanna bug! I WANT MY DADDY!"

At that moment Marie wanted to commit murder. She had no idea who could have done something so horrible but when she found out, that person was going to regret the day they were born!

Rumple concentrated, trying every spell he could think of to change Archie back but nothing was working and he was draining himself. He collapsed on the sofa exhausted. "Powerful...spell..." he murmured.

"There's nothing you can do?" Marie asked through her tears.

"I...I'm sorry...Marie...unless I know what they used..."

"I want my Daddy!" Gisella bawled.

Archie hopped onto her shoulder. "If I knew how to change back I would, Princess."

"M'sorry I tried to hit you..."

"It's okay, you didn't know."

"Why're you a bug?"

"I was one before we came here, honey."

"Why?"

"It's a long story but I'll tell you sometime…I promise."

The little girl glanced at the cricket on her shoulder then back to her mother. "Mommy...KISS HIM!" she cried.

"What?"

"What if it's like the Princess and the Frog movie an you gotta kiss him to change him back?"

"It just might work!" Belle exclaimed. "True love's kiss!"

"W...Worth a try…" Rumple said sleepily.

"But how? He's...and I'm..." She spread her hands helplessly.

"Believe Marie," Belle begged her sister.

Archie jumped from Gisella's shoulder over to the arm of the sofa, wanting Belle and Gisella to be right and Marie's kiss would be all that was needed to break the spell. And there was something he wanted to do for quite a while once he changed back. Marie kneeled down so that her face was close to his head...good gods but it was so tiny and pressed her lips to it thinking about how much she loved him and how much Gisella loved him. A cloud of green smoke surrounded them and once it cleared Archie was back to his human self again, his arms around Marie as they kissed and so many memories came rushing back to both of them.

_"…Rise and shine, my lady! It's another beautiful day…" Jiminy whispered in Marie's ear as he flew above her. She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow. "Come on, Marie! Today's not a day for sleeping in. It's a day to be out in the fresh air and sun."_

_"Oh, all right," she mumbled and sat up. "Do you always get up this early?"_

_"Always."_

_"Well you can't stay in here while I get dressed! Now shoo…out in the hall with you!" she cried and waved him away._

_"What kind of cricket do you take me for? I don't peek in at women while they're dressing. It's indecent!" He shook his head and flew out into the hall, using one of the statues as his perch while he waited for her._

_Belle came down the hall sweeping the floor and stopped when she saw him. "Good morning Jiminy," she greeted. "What are you doing out here?"_

_"Marie is dressing and a bit cross with me since I woke her up early."_

_Belle giggled. "I forgot to warn you about that. She doesn't like to get up any earlier than eight."_

_"All right, come on you crazy insect. You've gotten me up, now what do you want to do?" Marie asked when she came out of the room. The worst of her illness was over but Rumple advised her that if she did go outside, she was not to be out there long or she risked another relapse as she had the day Charming showed up and she and Belle chased him out of the castle with the broom._

_"Are you going to be cross with me all morning?" he demanded. "It doesn't become you."_

_Truth be told, she didn't like staying angry with him now. She spent most of the week in bed sick, miserable and missing her daughter terribly but he was always finding ways to bring a smile to her face with his stories about the Charmings and little adventures he had with his friend Geppetto._

_She patted her shoulder and he flew onto it then she took him out to the gardens, loving the scent of the red roses that bloomed there. Jiminy flew off her shoulder and down to the roses and took one off the vine by biting into it. It fell on the bench beside her._

_"Jiminy….that's so sweet of you…thank you," she said softly as she picked it up and sniffed it._

_"Now that's the smile I was looking for."_

_She laughed. "You won't let me be unhappy for a moment, will you?"_

_"No."_

_"Why?"_

_Because you're even more beautiful when you smile and if I were human again I'd bring you a dozen roses every day just so I could see you smile._

_"You deserve to be happy, Marie…that's all," he said shyly._

_But you're not human and you can't be, not right now. It's too dangerous. Any day now Cora will cast her curse and take you all away…and the only way you can protect yourself and her is to stay as you are and try not to get too close._

_They had to try to get into Cora's vault one more time. Too much was at stake now to let the curse be cast and once again he was willing to die to stop it if that was what it took. She was worth dying for._

_"I have my daughter, my family and a few friends….what more do I need?"_

_You need a man who will love you more than anything else in the world. I can be that for you. I want to be that for you! And I know I'll love your daughter too if I get to meet her!_

_"You don't think you need anything else? What about love?"_

_"Love's for everyone else…not me," she said sadly. "I thought I was in love once…but he died."_

_"You can love again. You just have to believe in it, in yourself."_

_And in me._

_"No, Jiminy…love's not for me. It never will be."_

_"What if someone proved to you it would be? Would you take the chance?"_

_"Why are you asking me this?"_

_"Because I think that's what is missing in your life…a man to love you…and a father for your daughter."_

_Now why can't a MAN treat me like this? Marie thought bitterly. She despised insects yet this one acted like he was still a human being and if he were one she could even fall in love with him. Could it be possible HE was the man she would meet in the new land? No, it was too much to hope for._

_"Well I won't find him here…if I ever will so there's no sense thinking about it!" she cried._

_His face fell. "What do you mean?"_

_"Rumple….he said in another land I would find a man who would love me and Gisella….but it's too much to hope for," she sobbed._

_"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Jiminy asked and took flight. He flew into the open window of Rumple's lab and perched himself on the table, glaring at the sorcerer. "What kind of game are you playing, Rumplestiltskin?" he demanded angrily._

_"Whatever do you mean dearie?"_

_"You know exactly what I mean! Are you enjoying this…watching me get my heart broken and dashing Marie's hopes when I've never felt this way before in my life and she's been so disappointed by love?"_

_"Jiminy, what has you so upset?"_

_"Did you or did you not tell Marie she would meet her true love in another land?"_

_"It's what I've Seen Jiminy." He set a Seeing Globe on the table and concentrated, letting his vision appear in it. "That man is Marie's true love. Recognize him, dearie?"_

_Jiminy peered into the globe feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. "It's me…." he whispered. "I'm…older than I was before I was changed…but it's me!"_

_"I had no doubt of it, cricket. But the course of true love never does run smooth…and there will be many challenges you'll face in this new land."_

_"I don't care. I'd walk through fire for her if I had to!"_

_"It may not come to that but I See good times and bad ones ahead for you. You'll have to fight hard for your happy ending…maybe the hardest of all of us because of your interference in Cora's curse."_

_"I don't care. She's worth it to me," Jiminy insisted._

_Rumple smiled. "So…if Fate is kind, someday we'll be family."_

_"I'd like that. If you'll excuse me, I'll go see if Marie is all right."_

_"Go on. Cherish what time you have. It will not be long now…"_

_"…Weren't you going to say goodbye?"_

_"Not goodbye, fair lady. But . .. until we meet again. Because someday . . . I think we will."_

_"You've been a wonderful friend to me, Jiminy..."_

_"You too, Marie . . ."_

_She gave him a smile and stepped into the waiting coach._

"…You've loved me...all this time...you've loved me..." Marie sobbed. "Oh, Archie..."

"I always have, my lady...and I always will," Archie Hopper, formerly Jiminy Cricket murmured and kissed her again.

She smiled. "I like you better this way..."

"At least now I don't have to worry about you trying to kill me with a broom or kicking me off the furniture, calling me a daft insect."

"Or you poking me with your umbrella…"

"Daddy!" Gisella cried and ran over to them.

"D...Did it work, Belle?" Rumple asked from the chair where he was taking a nap to recover his strength.

"Of course it worked," she declared happily.

Archie held Marie and Gisella to him protectively, never wanting to let them go again. "I love both of you more than anything else in the world," he murmured. Then he released them and got down on one knee in front of Marie, taking her hand in his. "Marie Bordreaux...will you marry me?"

_If you say no sister of mine, your ass is grass_, Belle thought.

Marie didn't hesitate a second. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

"Mommy...that mean he's gonna really be my daddy now?"

"Yes it does, princess. I'm always going to be your daddy." He hugged them again.

"Belle...I miss something? Why are you crying?" Rumple asked, opening one eye.

"Wake up Rumple. You've just gained a brother-in-law."

"Bout damned time," he muttered.

"Excuse me?" Archie frowned at the sorcerer. "I didn't wait as long as YOU did to pop the question!"

"Extenuating circumstances."

"My ass!"

"Uh oh...Daddy...you said a bad word now Mommy's gonna have to get the Dove out!"

"I think I'll let him off with a warning this time..." Marie said softly.

"Well…thank God you're back to normal," Emma said. "But how the hell did it happen, Hopper?"

"I don't know...I was sitting here drinking my tea and..."

"Let me see the cup!" Rumple said, getting up from the chair and gazing down into the empty cup, the powder inside it a bit familiar. He didn't have this particular concoction around but he knew who did.

"Regina," he hissed.

"Regina? Why would she hurt Archie? It doesn't make sense." Marie argued. "It was Zelena…it had to be. She's the only person besides who would do this to hurt both of us."

"Henry said Regina's been having memory lapses which makes me think she may have reverted back to HER cursed self," Rumple informed them.

"Zelena has more of a motive right now Rumple. We ran Spencer out of town on a rail and Gaston is in prison. She's been seeing both of them…she had to have been," Marie argued.

While they were debating the issue Emma got a call from the Mayor herself reporting a break in at her vault along with what was stolen. The vault was sealed with a blood lock and since Emma knew the mayor had been at a meeting Marie's accusation against Zelena was valid.

"Marie, it was Zelena. Regina just confirmed it. She stole the potion and what she needed for it out of the vault."

"When I get through with her, she'll wish SHE was a bug!" Marie growled.

"Looks like it's time for another ass whipping, dearie," Rumple said to Belle.

"Ohhh wee ohhh burnnnnn the witch," Gisella sang. "Can I roast marshmallows?"

"Gisella!" Archie cried.

"Daddy, she turned you into a BUG. Aren't you mad?"

"Yes but burning her is a bit...extreme..." He glanced over at Rumple then smirked. "Maybe she should be turned into something that won't harm anyone."

"Oooh make her a BUG so's we can squish her!" Gisella cried and rubbed her hands together gleefully.

Rumple laughed evilly. "Not a bug...but I have just the thing."

It would probably drain him a bit more but it was worth it.

"Archie, help me up. We're going to pay that tramp a visit and have a little...chat with her."

"Don't wear out your arm, Rumple!" Belle called after him as she followed him out to the car.

Jefferson had Zelena waiting for them in a cell at the Sheriff's station. The former witch glared when she saw Rumple, Archie, Marie, Belle and Gisella standing outside her cell.

"Haven't learned your lesson, have you, dearie?" Rumple sneered at her through the bars.

"What are you going to do? Kill me?"

"Oughta squish you like a bug you witch. You hurt my daddy!" yelled Gisella. "Lemme at 'er!"

Marie picked up her daughter and held onto her. Gisella could put quite a hurting on someone when she was angry.

"No, I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to make damned sure you NEVER hurt another member of my family again."

He waved his hand and in the spot where Zelena stood was...a green goat.

Belle clutched the wall with one hand and her belly with the other as she laughed hysterically.

"Oh...my God…Bae is going to PEE himself when he sees this!"

"I don't get it," Archie said to his fiancée who was laughing so hard herself she had tears in her eyes.

"Remind me...to...tell you...when we get back to the house…"

"Ha ha...HA! You're an ugly green goat, witchie poo!" Gisella taunted.

"Oh my God...Rumple that has got to be the best gag I've ever seen," Emma giggled.

"It was long overdue," he mumbled, glaring at the goat. "Now run along dearie." He flicked his wrist and opened the cell. The goat attempted to bite his suit…and him...and quickly lost its teeth in the process.

Gisella clapped her hands. "Good one Uncle Rumple. Now she hasta wear dentures!"

"They don't make them for goats dearie."

"Now I really want to hear this story!" Archie chuckled.

"Can we go home now, Daddy?" Gisella asked him.

"Yes, we can go home."

Archie walked out of the police station with his head held high and his arm around his fiancée's shoulder while she held their daughter in her arms.

While behind them in the station, a very obnoxious and angry witch-goat raced around butting her head into the desk and the walls, bleating. Emma stared in consternation. "Uh, Rumple? I think she's possessed."

Rumple looked back at green goat. "No, dearie. She's having a tantrum." He sighed. "If she gets too out of line-just whack her with this," and he conjured up a shepherd's crook and handed it to Emma. "Works on spoiled goats every time."

Then he followed his family out the door . . .relieved that the Zelena menace was ended for all time.

Outside Marie noticed people were staring at them. Archie, his confidence given an enormous boost when Marie accepted his proposal was more than willing now to give them something to stare at…and talk about. He set their daughter on her feet and took Marie into his arms for a kiss.

"…What does he see in her? She's one of those dancers!"

"Probably thinks he has money."

He lifted his mouth from hers and turned to face the two women speaking. "There are people in this town who've done far worse and you forget…I've heard about it but I'm not the type to air a person's dirty laundry in public. And you also tend to forget we were all cursed for the last twenty-eight years and we should not be judged for our actions during it. I don't give a damn what ANYONE in this town says, Marie is going to be my wife and Gisella is my daughter. And before you go about ruining someone else's life with your gossip you might want to concentrate on improving your own! Now if you'll all excuse me, we'll be going home."

He left them standing there mouths agape and holding the hands of the two people he loved most in the world; they started walking down the street toward home.

"…Hey Devereaux! You have a visitor!"

Gaston smirked. He couldn't wait for Zelena to tell him the potion was a success and that slut Marie and her cricket lover were history. He hid the Playboy magazine he'd bartered a pack of cigarettes for under the mattress and followed the guard to the visiting area. He approached the table expecting to see Zelena waiting for him, his mouth dropped open when he realized it wasn't her.

Archie smiled devilishly. "You look like you've been castrated, Devereaux. Were you expecting to see a cricket? Sorry to disappoint you but your little scheme failed. And you're going to leave us alone from now on."

"Will I?" he sneered.

"Yes, you are. There's no one else left to do your dirty work. We've seen to that."

"So why are you here?"

Archie slapped a stack of papers and a pen down on the table. "I want you to sign away your rights to _my _daughter. You don't want her, you never have."

"What do I get out it?"

"You'll no longer have to pay child support for her. She'll be _my _responsibility from now on."

Gaston laughed. "Have fun trying to get Marie to go along with it. She's been trying to squeeze money out of me for the little brat since we came to this world. You're doing this behind her back, aren't you?"

"No. She wants you out of our lives as much as I do. Sign it," Archie demanded and leaned across the table, simmering with rage. He was tired of this man thinking he could try to destroy their happiness.

The other man laughed. "You really are an idiot, Hopper. She's gonna take you for all you're worth." He grabbed the pen and scribbled his name on the line.

"No, you're the idiot. Did you happen to forget that the prison system has a food chain? Might want to keep your mouth shut about just what it is you're in here for…or you might end up being the food."

_Good gods! I sound like Rumple! _he thought. Oh, but it was worth it seeing the terrified expression on Gaston's face! He snatched up the papers and walked out of the room, hoping this was the last time he'd ever after to face the bastard.

Marie was waiting for him by the car outside. "Did you get it?" she asked hopefully. He held the paper out to her. When she saw the signature she threw herself into his arms and kissed him. "Can we get everything filed today?"

"I'll talk to Judge Midas and see what he says…and Rumple's looking into it too. I don't want to tell Gisella until we're sure, okay?"

"It doesn't matter. You're already her father in her eyes. All we're trying to do is make it official."

"Speaking of official….we should talk about the wedding."

"Then let's go somewhere private and discuss it," she said with a smile.

They drove to the park and though they enjoyed having more time together, they were ready to return to work but Mina and Jack insisted they weren't ready yet.

"I've been thinking…and it may sound strange coming from me but then I remembered Rumple and Belle's wedding and how they had sort of a theme…and there's nothing I'd want to see more than you looking like the goddess you are to me…." Archie blurted.

"You want a Greek mythology themed wedding?" she asked him.

He nodded.

She took his hands in hers. "Then let's do it! There's nothing I'd want more than to see you standing there as the Adonis you are to me," she murmured. "Belle will stand with me like I should have at her wedding…my papa can give me away…and you can either have Geppetto or Rumple stand with you. It'll take some time to get everything together…but I can't wait!" she cried and embraced him.

"Neither can I." he agreed as he kissed her. "Let's wait till after Rumple and Belle's baby shower and the summer festival…that way everything isn't so rushed."

"Belle told me she wished she and Rumple had a proper honeymoon but with everything that was going on they never got the chance. They just decided to go on one later on. I don't think I can wait that long."

"Since we're having a mythological wedding we could go to Greece and Rome for a few months but I want Gisella, Mary and Pongo to come with us. We can still find time to be alone too."

"You've been thinking about this a while, haven't you?"

Archie smiled. "I started thinking about us being a family when I was still a cricket, Marie. It's all I've ever wanted. I just wish I could've told you then."

"Unfortunately I would have called you a crazy insect for thinking it was possible," Marie said with a frown. "Or maybe not. When you gave me that rose I was asking myself why I couldn't find a man to be that romantic to me. I wasn't looking in the right place. If I'd kissed you then…I could've broken your enchantment!"

"Rumple felt it was best you didn't. Our bond would've been stronger and once the second curse hit we would've suffered worse than we already did. Look what happened to Snow and David. He was in a coma for most of the curse."

"The curse is weakening but it still needs to be broken. Poor Regina….she lost her memory of the time she had with Robin Locksley. Thank the gods we're not having memory lapses."

"We did, Marie. Our memory of having met back in our land was gone…but somehow we remembered how we felt."

"Remember The Feeling…it's one of my favorite songs on Chicago 17," Marie said. "Strange how it fits us because of that…"

The one he felt fit how he felt about her…about them now was 'You're The Inspiration.'

As if she sensed what he was thinking she added: "but the one that makes me think of you is 'You're The Inspiration'."

"That's what I hear in my head when I think about you now. Before it was Along Comes a Woman."

"If we ever went to one of Chicago's concerts and told the band members this story, they'd look at us like we were insane!"

He chuckled. "I still do want to go to a concert sometime. Maybe during our honeymoon?"

"We're going. And maybe they'll play our song…" she whispered.

As much as he loved to see their favorite band in concert, he was going to make sure 'their' song was going to be played first. He didn't give a damn who was singing it, as long as they heard it.

"Hey strangers!" they heard Becky call out. They turned around and saw her, Kat and Andi walking toward them. The former Scorpions sat across from them at the picnic table.

"What are you girls up to?" Archie asked them.

"Nothing much. What are _you _up to?" Andi grinned at them. "Quite a kiss there, Doc."

He blushed. "And you three shouldn't have been watching."

"He is cute when he does that," Becky giggled.

"You're lucky I like you Becky or you'd be getting the Bordreaux Broom to your butt for ogling my man." Marie cautioned.

"I got my own man…and admit it: he is."

"Sooo…a little birdie told us you _finally _popped the question Doctor Hopper. When's the wedding?" Kat asked.

"We were thinking sometime after the summer festival," Archie replied.

"Are you gonna have a theme like Mr. Gold and Belle did?"

"We are…Greek Mythology. Archie calls me his Aphrodite so we're going to have everyone dress up like Greek gods and goddesses."

"That's so cool!" Becky exclaimed. "That means Mr. Gold's gonna be Hades I bet…."

"Better be wearing leather…" Kat murmured.

"His son better too," added Andi.

"Well we're all gonna be there because you guys deserve it after all the shit you went through with that dick Gaston. Hope some big guy turns him into his bitch and gives him what he deserves!" Becky snarled.

"He shoulda had his balls cut off and mounted on a wall!" Kat said angrily.

"Belle wanted to do that but Mr. Gold talked her out of it," Andi told her. "I think he would have done it himself too but he whipped his ass good in court and Spencer got run out of town on rail like he deserved to."

One of the girls' cellphones rang with a message. "Hey guys….we gotta get going the boys are waiting."

"Oh…before you do….how would you like to come over to the house this weekend…Sunday? I was planning on asking Rumple and Belle anyway," Archie invited.

"That'd be great. I'll ask my dad but I'm sure he'll say yes if he knows I'm going to your house!" Kat exclaimed.

"My mom will too," said Becky.

"Mark will definitely say yes," Andi assured them.

"All right. We'll have a cookout and you kids can swim in the pool."

"Excellent!" they all cheered.

"I'll call Belle and ask her right now!" Marie cried.

The Golds were thrilled with the idea and Rumple made the macaroni and potato salad for the cookout and some of his Golden Delights because he knew the kids loved them. Everyone arrived at the Hopper house at noon on Sunday.

"Why don't you kids go swimming until everything's ready?" Belle suggested while she and Marie were getting everything set up at the picnic table. Archie was cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks and chicken on the grill while he was listening to Chicago's latest album on his phone.

"You know how to swim, Gisella?" Andi asked her.

"Uh-huh. Mommy and Daddy taught me."

"You have a diving board too!" Becky cried excitedly.

"Hey Bae! I dare ya to do a cannonball," Ewan whispered.

"What? You think I can't? I do know how to swim."

"Do it, mate!" urged Bobby.

"Ummm...I think Archie'll get mad..." Kat said.

Andi got in the pool with Gisella and the other girls followed suit. Ewan and Bobby started clucking at Bae thinking he'd chicken out.

"It's what a pool's for," argued the former thief. Urged on by his friends, Bae stepped onto the diving board and sprang up into the air, doing a perfect cannonball into the pool. And water arced everywhere.

"Baelfire!" Archie yelled. "What the hell was that?!"

"Bae!" Belle cried and stood up, her clothes soaked.

Marie glared at her nephew.

Rumple had been sunning himself beside the pool in a deck chair and water had just drenched him and the book he'd been reading AND his phone in his pocket. "Baelfire Gold! My God, look what you've done!" He gave his son a Dark One glare.

The boys were laughing and hi-fived their friend.

"Not funny, young man!" growled the sorcerer.

"I'll say it wasn't. You do that again and you are banned from my pool, young man!" Archie said sharply.

"And you'll be grounded and made to clean this pool with a toothbrush!" Rumple added.

Archie grinned, liking that idea.

"Papa, I didn't mean to get you all wet," Bae protested.

That was so cool!" exclaimed Gisella.

"Oh no it wasn't Gisella Hopper," her mother chastised.

"And what did you think would happen when you did that, huh?" demanded his father. "We were gonna remain dry? Use your head, Baelfire! For something besides dares and pranks."

He gestured and his clothes were dry and so were Belle's. "I hope my phone is all right," he muttered and dried it as well. "Or someone's buying me a new one out of his allowance."

"Papa, chill," Bae muttered. "It's not like I pushed you in."

"Better quit while you're ahead, Fire," Andi advised.

"You might as well have," Rumple said balefully.

"And mind the attitude, mister."

He checked his phone. It seemed to be working okay. Then he fixed the soaked book he'd been reading-a suspense thriller by Dan Brown.

"Is that the latest Robert Langdon?" asked Archie

"Okay, m'sorry."

"Yes. Inferno," Rumple replied. Then he said to his son, "Don't do that again."

"Thank God we aren't sleeping together yet. You'd keep me up all night until you finish the thing," Marie muttered.

"Marie!" Archie cried and blushed.

The female Scorpions looked at each other and smirked.

Belle chuckled. "I can't complain about that, since I read into the wee hours of the morning too."

"And so now we read together," Rumple smirked, and winked at his wife.

"And don't tell me you aren't up late with your nose in a book either, Marie. I've gotten up to go to the bathroom as late as two in the morning and seen a light under your door." her fiancé argued.

"When I'm reading an old Dark Hunter book, yes. The new ones bore me to death."

"A lot of those books tend to get formulaic after a while," Rumple remarked. "I find the same thing is true with the new James Pattersons."

"We don't read together. I read suspense she reads...whatever..." Archie mumbled.

'Oh we don't read the same books," Rumple amended. "We each read our own. But we curl up near each other."

"Dark Hunter books are a twist on the Greek gods with Atlanteans thrown in," Marie said. "But I kinda lost interest after Acheron."

"And we debate the plots, don't we Rumple? I just finished a novel on Joan of Arc," Belle mused. "And I got so mad when they put her on trial-it was so bogus…"

"….that she punched me right in the arm and screamed "You stupid idiots!" he finished.

Actually the word she had used was a lot more colorful but he wasn't going to say it in front of the children.

"I thought Archie was fighting with someone one night...turns out he was just angry at something he read."

"It was one of the Women's Murder Club books...I figured everything out halfway through it."

"When Belle read Message in A Bottle, she got so mad she threw the book across the bed." Rumple recounted gleefully. "And that's why I don't read those-too predictable."

"And Marie, I thought I was going to have to buy stock in Kleenex while you were reading that damned Acheron book...all nine hundred or so pages of it!"

"It was sad! The man was tortured while he was a human...!"

Belle made a face. "Reminds me of what they did to poor Joan."

"Well, you don't have to beat me up, dearie. I didn't torture her," Rumple pointed out.

"Sorry, darling, you were the closest man around," Belle apologized.

"Oh if you think that's bad...I was made to sit through four seasons of the Tudors." Archie said.

"I suppose I'm lucky you didn't get out the broom," muttered her husband. "You sure you want to get married, Hopper?"

"Yes, I do...when she's not annoying me."

"What annoyed me was YOU sitting there pointing out all the historical inaccuracies in my show!" Marie said angrily.

"There were too many to count!"

"I thought I was watching it with my sister for minute because you sounded like Belle!"

"I'll take that as a compliment . . I think," Belle said impishly. "And don't ever watch a crime drama with Rumple, he'll quote you chapter and verse about the wrong way they use the law."

"Oh God...hopeless...all of you! Can't you just enjoy it?"

"Well, dearie, I'm jerked out of my suspension of disbelief when they make a plotline so asinine the only way it could be real is on TV." Rumple answered. "A little deviation is fine, but some of these shows . . it's obvious they didn't even do research on the laws!"

"At least they can't analyze The Walking dead, right guys?" Bobby asked. His friends nodded in agreement.

"And if you're going to put something historical on the air, read about it first!" Archie argued.

"You're just mad because I said Henry was cute," Marie teased.

"Yes, well, why wasn't he overweight like he was supposed to be in Season 4 and stinking like death with his infected leg?"

"When we watched Sleepless In Seattle, Belle said Tom Hanks was adorable . . . and I asked her which part and she said everything!" grumbled Rumple.

"I wanted to shove my umbrella through the TV!"

"I wanted to beat him with my cane."

"Rumple, you're so silly!" Belle chided. "Getting jealous over an actor I've never met in my life and probably never will."

"You won't dearie. Trust me. Otherwise I'll be tempted to beat him with an ugly stick."

"And you are so cute when you're jealous..." Marie purred to Archie. "Rumple you should have seen him the night of the manhood intervention."

"No, he wouldn't have wanted to because he would have turned me back into a cricket after I tried to whack him with my umbrella."

"I was the one doing most of the work..."

"Well you overdid it!"

"Seriously? I was still mostly frozen from squid ink, dearie, and if I'd had a choice I would have been anywhere BUT there," Rumple protested.

"I was still mad," Archie grumbled.

"Mad enough to ask me out."

"I got tired of sneaking around."

"Are we gonna eat or you guys gonna complain all day?" demanded Gisella.

"Sella!" Marie cried.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Bae complained.

"We should do this every weekend," Belle said.

"Yes we should, since we have the two best cooks in Storybrooke." Marie agreed.

"What do you think Rumple...every Sunday we get together here, our house or the cabin?"

"It's fine with me. What do you say Archie?"

He smiled, switched his spatula to his other hand and shook Rumple's. "The deal is struck."

"Rubbing off on you, aren't I, dearie?" Rumple giggled.

"I don't know if I should be worried about that or not," Marie mused.

"I wouldn't be," Belle said dreamily.

"I would," Bae grouched. His father cuffed him alongside the head. "You're already in serious trouble with me, boy. Crack of dawn next weekend I want ye up and cleaning."

Bae groaned.

Before the Golds left for the evening, Rumple and Archie discussed what they would make for the baby shower coming up. They decided to do all of the cooking at Rumple's house except for his chili. He would make that at home and heat it up at the Gold house that day.

"Ahhh dammit!" Archie grouched a few days later when he walked into the kitchen and found that his deep freezer was leaking and everything in it was spoiled.

"Baby, what's wrong…oh no!" Marie cried when she noticed the reason for her fiancé's distress. "Archie….we just bought all that!" she cried.

"I know…could you get me some trash bags, please?"

He lifted the lid and nearly gagged from the smell coming out of it. The couple started taking everything out of it and threw it into trash bags for the collector to pick up that day. "Can you go to the store and get some of the things we need for the shower while I try to get that daughter of ours out of bed?"

Marie thought she had the easier of the two tasks. Her daughter could be as grouchy as she was in the morning.

Archie went upstairs and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight hit his sleeping daughter's face. "Rise and shine, Princess! It's another beautiful day!" he crooned in her ear, smiling when he remembered doing the same to her mother years earlier as a cricket.

Gisella threw her pillow over her head. "Don't wanna get up!"

"Come on, Princess. We're going to Aunt Belle and Uncle Rumple's baby shower."

"Wanna sleep…"

"Do we want an ice water wakeup?"

"No! M'getting' up!" Gisella cried and jumped out of bed, glaring at her father. "Why I gotta get up so early anyhow?"

"Because we have a lot to do before the shower starts. And besides, it's a beautiful day so you can play outside."

"Me and Mommy already made the baby bottles with candy in 'em."

"Yes, but your uncle and I have to do more cooking."

Gisella grabbed the clothes her mother laid out for her and raced down the hall to the bathroom.

"We're heeeerreeeee!" she sang out when they arrived at the Gold house.

"Hey, scamp! You sound like the kid from Poltergeist," Bae laughed.

"The kid from what?" she asked.

"Never mind. You're not watching it till you're older," her father said, a large crockpot in his hands while Marie carried bags from the grocery store.

"It's a scary movie you're not allowed to watch yet." Bae told her.

"Yeah, Daddy doesn't like scary movies and neither does Mommy. They watch old stuff."

Her cousin laughed. "So do mine." Bae led the way into the kitchen, his nose twitching at the aroma coming from it. "Papa, can I have some hot wings?" he begged. "I gotta take something for me and Andi to eat on the fishing trip." He was going fishing with his girlfriend while the shower was going on.

"Bae, I will fix you something before you leave. Don't pester me now," Gold ordered, his mind trying to do ten things at once.

"Okay, don't have a cow!"

"I'm coming, Rum!" Archie called out knowing how stressful having to do a lot of cooking was.

Bae snatched a deviled egg from the tray Rumple was lining them up on. "Mmm . . .!" he said then yelped when his father swatted his hand with a wooden spoon. "Oww! I'm hungry!"

"Get your sticky fingers out of my food!" his father snapped exasperatedly.

"Sticky fingers in a kitchen get swatted...don't they Sella?" Archie asked his daughter.

"Ummm...yeah...but I was hungry."

"Yeah, see?" Bae pointed out.

"There's plenty of food in the fridge, go eat it," Rumple said. "But leave the food for the party alone. If I have any extra, you can have it."

"Sella, go help your mom and Aunt Belle."

"Okay Daddy!" the little girl skipped off to the office.

Bae hung around the kitchen, hoping to sneak some wings when Rumple's back was turned. He grabbed a can of iced tea from the fridge and sipped it, leaning on the counter and watching the men cooking.

Major lay by his feet, hoping something would fall on the floor.

"Sorry we were running late this morning, Rum but that daughter of mine did not want to get out of bed this morning...and gods is she cranky when she first gets up!"

"Uh-huh. Like that one over there," he jerked his thumb at his son.

"Then my damned deep freeze went down and I had to throw a lot of stuff out which is why we had to go shopping."

"Always something," Gold sighed, and crossed off three things on his list-wings with sauces, deviled eggs, and pinwheels. He wrapped the tray of deviled eggs and pinwheels with plastic wrap before floating them into the fridge.

"I'll start the cornbread after I get my chili in the crockpot...I'm thinking I should've brought the roaster instead."

"My oven's big enough . . . and I'm not using it to heat anything. I've got magic for that, thank the gods. No need for Sternos and risk a fire starting by mistake," his almost brother-in-law replied. He had an industrial sized oven that could fit two twenty-five pound turkeys if necessary.

While the ground beef was cooking on the stove, Archie chopped up onions and green peppers to toss in with it along with several packs of Roast Beef seasoning taken from packs of Ramen noodles.

Bae was drooling by then and watching for his chance to snatch some wings from the foil pans cooling on the counter.

Rumple went to get some ingredients for his redskin potato salad out of the fridge and the pantry.

Archie set a container with more of them and roast chicken ones for Rumple on the counter so he could duplicate his chicken breading recipe.

The former thief saw his chance then and grabbed a large spoon from the counter and scooped some buffalo wings onto it and began eating them.

He'd only managed to finish one when his hand was smacked with another spoon.

Rumple turned around and saw his son wolfing them down, sauce all over his face. "Baelfire! Must I send you to your room for time out?" he cried.

"Oww! What the-?

"Apparently you haven't learned your lesson," Archie smirked, holding the punishing spoon in his hand.

"The smell's driving me crazy!" the boy protested, sucking his fingers.

"YOU'RE driving me crazy!" Rumple said.

"Bae! Stop pestering your father!" yelled Belle from the office.

"Okay! My God, you and her with the hormones!" he muttered.

Belle now stood in the kitchen, her hands on her hips. "Baelfire Gold! Did you EAT some of the food for the party?"

He gave her a guilty look. "Umm . . . yeah . . . only a little though."

"Well that's the last time...OUT!" she pointed to the door.

"But Mama . . ."

"Yes, go and walk Major." Rumple agreed.

"OUT! O...U...T...Out!"

"Okay! Okay! C'mon, Maj! Let's go, before they end up having a meltdown . . ." Bae sighed, and picked up the dog's lead.

Major bounded to his feet, eager to go out.

Belle felt like she was going to have a meltdown. They wanted everything to be perfect for their baby shower, one of those things being making sure they had enough food for their guests.

"And while you're outside, check the stakes on the tent and make sure they're set right," his father called.

"Okay, Papa," Bae called, and then they heard the door slam.

"Impudent rascal!" Gold muttered. "Another minute of his sassy mouth and I was gonna break my own rule and tan his behind for him!"

"I have a feeling I may have to deal with this if Marie has a baby," Archie sighed.

"Yeah . . . and just wait till Sella's a teenager . . .it might be worse with girls," Rumple sighed. He began putting cut up potatoes in a pot of water to boil, then chopping up some celery and red onion.

"I'm going to have to stand on the porch with a shotgun! Marie already bought me that t-shirt with the rules for dating my daughter."

Rumple laughed. "If we have a girl, I'm going to have to get her an Everlast Chastity Belt . .. or else all her boyfriends are gonna end up slugs in the slug museum . . . or in the garden as lawn gnomes."

"It's going to happen sooner for me than you since Sella is already five!"

"Poor you! I'll send Bae over to help you. Whatever boys get past him and his fists you can shoot." Rumple said, and began mixing up his special mayonnaise dressing to put on the salad.

"I can throw a punch or two...those classes I took can't go to waste though I would have preferred to punch Gaston to a pulp after what he did to Marie!"

"Yes . . .I'd have preferred he be castrated like a rogue bull," Rumple said sharply. "With a dull knife and no anesthetic! But at least he's in jail for the foreseeable future, no parole, and has to pay child support for Sella."

"Just until the adoption goes through. Then there's the bitch Zelena..." Archie chuckled. "I STILL cannot believe she's now a green goat!"

Rumple smirked. "Well, you know what I always say, Hopper. All magic comes with a price! She thought she could get away with hurting someone in my family . . .again . . .and I just proved her wrong . .. again."

It was too bad, Rumple reflected, that Elmira had ever brought Zelena with her to visit Cora just before the curse was cast . . . and Regina had decided to bring the spoiled harpy to the new world to punish her for trying to kill her own sister in order to be the one to cast the curse with Cora. Had she been left behind . . .they wouldn't have had her to deal with. But what was done was done. And at least now she couldn't hurt anyone else.

"Would you like me to grate some cheddar cheese for the chili?" Rumple asked Archie. His potatoes had to cool before he could mix everything together.

"Can't be chili without it," Archie said. "I will tell you though...this is the mild form of the one I do for the cookoff. That's called Hopper's Hotter Than Hell Chili." He laughed. "The first year I entered everyone thought I'd never place."

"Yeah, we don't want the women suing us for starting bonfires in their stomachs . . . especially since some of them are elderly ladies who probably have easily up set digestive tracks," Rumple said. "But Bae and I will have to try the one you make for that. He loves spicy food . . .and I do too, when I'm not messed up from pregnancy hormones."

"I warn you...have plenty of water ready because your mouth will be on fire...and Leroy...has a habit of drinking beer when he eats my chili."

"And gets drunk off his ass," chuckled the wizard. "I'll make sure I eat plenty of cornbread . . .that'll soak up the hot peppers."

"Graham said once he was going to haul me off to jail for overpopulating the drunk tank."

"Ha! It's not your fault those yahoos don't realize that the way to put out hotness isn't with beer, it's with bread . . .followed by some water."

The chili was ready to go into the oven. While it was cooking Archie started working on the cornbread.

Rumple started grating cheddar off a block of sharp Wisconsin, and then chopped up some green onions as well. "There's sour cream in the fridge too." He said, and then sighed. "I miss my enchanted kitchen. It was always so amusing cooking with them. Especially my salt shakers."

Archie laughed. "I can't believe I forgot about them...I just find it strange my memories of the time I spent in your castle didn't come back until Marie kissed me as a cricket."

"That was Cora's doing," Rumple remarked. "She did that on purpose, muddled up your memories."

"Uh . . . what happened to them once the curse was cast?"

"They remained behind in the castle. And to prevent them from being lonely and missing us, I put them into an enchanted sleep. Same with my goat Bess, and also put a spell on them to halt aging . . .they'll be asleep until I return to the castle again one day."

"The only reason why Cora messed with my memories is because I tried to help Regina," Archie said angrily. "And do you want to go back there?"

"Yes. After the baby's born. But maybe not permanently. Perhaps we can spend half a year at the castle and half a year here in Storybrooke. After all, my baby will have ties to both worlds, like we do, so no reason why we can't live in both."

"There isn't anything there I would want to go back to...but you know Marie...if Belle goes she'll want to."

"You're always welcome to stay at my castle . . . which I think I'll have to rename now that I'm no longer the Dark One."

"True...my opinion of you changed not long after I arrived. Now...it did take a bit longer to change my mind about Marie...she's still a feisty woman."

"But they're the best kind. They're not afraid to speak their mind to you and they like being partners. They also aren't bitches who enjoy humiliating you and treating you like dirt, like Milah."

"The hardest thing I ever had to do was say goodbye to her that day..."

"It tore me apart losing Belle and Bae, so thank the gods I couldn't remember it," Rumple said. "I would have been a basket case. And easy prey for the Dark One to take hold of me again."

Not wanting to dredge up painful memories, Archie changed the subject to something else. "Do you and Belle know what the baby is yet?"

"No. Belle and I opted to not find out. I know that in this world a lot of people do so, but . . .I want to be surprised and knowing isn't going to really change the theme of our nursery and shopping for the first clothes, since a baby grows so quickly, we can always personalize the wardrobe when it's a little older. Since this was a miracle and an unexpected surprise to begin with, we felt we should have it continue to be so till Belle delivers. Besides, in our old realm, it would be the same . . .and that's half the fun, not knowing."

"Then you and Belle have already begun to shop for the nursery? What theme have you chosen?" Archie asked curiously.

"Yes. And we decided the theme should be something about favorite children's books, and Bae painted scenes from several of them . . . like Narnia, Jungle Book, Dr. Seuss, Beauty and the Beast, and some nursery rhymes on the wall. The playroom next to it continues with more storybook characters," Rumple explained.

Bae had really enjoyed that project and did a wonderful job, making the characters so life like they almost seemed real.

"Sella already wants her room redone!"

Rumple laughed. "She needs to talk to Bae about the artwork then."

"I had to draw the line at a dartboard with Zelena and Gaston's pictures on them. Not that I don't blame her but...she's had enough violence in her life."

"Yes. I said the same thing to Bae when he wanted to make an effigy of Etienne and burn it," Rumple chuckled.

"I'm hoping after the wedding things settle down a bit..."

"Yes. Well, by then I should be done with most of my cases and have some free time before Belle delivers."

"Regina told me the other day I HAVE to be in the cook off for the festival or else..." He sighed. "At least this year she's doing something different and making it a team event."

Rumple raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

"Well before one person submitted something, this time she wants everyone in groups for the cook off and the games...you get to pick your team name, have your own flag and tent...I forgot...you never went to the festival during the curse."

"Anyway...the bake off was separate but she's combining all the culinary events into one."

"And since I'm actually baking this year . .. I'll give them some competition." Rumple said. "You've never tasted my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, but you will today. I made them for this shower."

"So then I won't have Granny saying she'll wipe the ground with me?"

Rumple shook his head. "No. She's good . . . but I'm better. Trust me."

"I have to tell her today who is on my team and what our name is." He thought about not asking because he thought the Golds would be too busy but Marie, who knew how much he loved the event insisted he work up the courage to ask.

"But if you're ummm..busy...Marie, Sella and I can do it..."

"No, I'm not. And I'd be proud to be on your team." Gold answered.

"You would!?" his eyes lit up. "Marie!"

"What is it honey?"

The psychologist was grinning from ear to ear. "I think we may sweep the festival this year."

"Ooo...Daddy...I wanna do the sack race with Bae!" Gisella cried excitedly.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," said her uncle. "He likes races."

""I doubt I'll be able to do anything," Belle said sadly. "I'll be as big as house by then."

"Aunt Belle you and Uncle Rumple can do the kissing contest." her little niece spoke up.

"You could judge the kids' stories for the Best Creative Story," Marie said.

"Oh I forgot about that...I always did judge them!"

"And we could always do the other one too," Rumple agreed.

Archie laughed. "You DO have to come up for air once in a while you know."

"Look who's talking!" Marie teased her fiance.

Rumple stirred the drunken hotdogs on the stove and asked, "So are you two entering it?"

"No...only one couple per team but when it wasn't a team event, yes we would have...give you two a run for your money," Marie added with a wink.

"You think, sister dear! Rumple and I can outkiss any couple in this town!" Belle boasted.

"And show those youngsters that an old married couple can still light their fire!" Rumple smirked.

"You'll have to get a room!" Bae called from the doorway and unhooked Major from his leash.

Major ran into the kitchen and sat down before Gold and offered his paw.

Pongo lay under the table by Archie's feet.

"Hey Bae, we're all gonna be a team for the summer festival...you wanna do the sack race with me?" asked Gisella hopefully.

Belle and Marie went outside to start decorating the tables and chairs Bae set up for them while he was outside. There was a bassinet filled with gifts and each guest could choose one to take home.

Bae thought about it while Rumple gave Major a biscuit. "Yeah, why not?" During the curse he'd never participated in the festival . . . except to pick pockets and use the fact that people were all away from their homes to burgle them.

"Yeah 'cause I wanna beat the dirty undies off that mean Mikaela Gordon!" Gissella said angrily.

"Who's that?" Bae laughed.

"Some mean girl in my school...she says my mommy's a ho and my daddy's a moron for marryin her and I wanna kick her butt!"

"And what did I say about that Gisella Bordreaux Hopper?" her father demanded sternly.

"Just 'nore her...but Daddy..."

"No buts. You're not getting into fights at school and that's my final word on it."

"And who does THAT sound like Rumple?' Belle asked her husband but she was looking at their son. They came back in the house to bring out more items when they heard Archie lecturing Gisella about fighting. All they needed to do yet outside was take out the food and set up the buffet table. Bae kept trying to snatch cookies off one of the trays while Belle was carrying it outside. She swatted his hands away. "Stop it or your father will ground you for a month and I'll make you write the longest essay of your life on manners!"

Her son sighed. "Then I want some for my fishing trip today. If I wait till I get home, they'll all be gone!"

Rumple just looked commiseratingly at Archie. "Been there and done that."

"I've been to the school about it twice and no one seems to want to do anything with that damned girl because she's related to Spencer."

"Figures. That family and the Devereauxs are like bad pennies. Always causing trouble and showing up when you don't need them to." Gold scowled. "If necessary I can go talk to the brat's parents, threaten to slap them with a lawsuit for bullying that'll take them the rest of their grandkid's lives to pay off if they don't teach their child some manners."

The laws regarding bullying in school had gotten a lot stricter since Storybrooke was founded, and Gold was prepared to use that for all he was worth if the brat persisted in her persecution.

"There's a few of them that do it but the Gordon girl's the worst."

Gold's mouth tightened. "Then it's going to stop. I make an example out of her and the others will think twice . . . or else."

"Do it, Papa," Bae urged. "Now that Eti the Yeti's going to juvie and so's Savannah probably, nobody dares to talk trash about you around me."

"What bothers me about is they're all girls who have someone working at the Foxtrot."

"Probably Zelena's influence," muttered Belle. "Or their parents are jealous that Marie has found someone who loves her despite her past and they haven't. Sour grapes."

"That's what I'm thinking because I went with Marie the day she quit over there and those cats wanted to claw her eyes out."

"Jealous witches," Rumple growled. "They make their own choices, no reason to take it out on innocent children. They can quit too . . .only they don't want to lose the money . . .like Blue. Respectability comes with a price too."

He put the hot dogs into a serving bowl. "Either way, I don't care why they're doing it, what matters is making it stop. So unless they want to be bankrupt and living in a cardboard box they're going to make these kids mind their mouths."

"I hate having to add another lawsuit on you but I'm at my wits end."

Had they lived in any other town, he would've had the option to move his daughter to another school."

"It's what they deserve," Rumple declared heatedly. "I'm sick and tired of these bullies not being put down hard for their attitudes. This the age where it starts . . .and needs to be nipped in the bud. And if the parents aren't going to stop it . . . I will."

"I almost got thrown out of the principal's office because I lost my temper at one of them...and called her some not so nice things."

He recalled too well the misery of growing up with the stigma of bastard and coward and other hurtful comments during his childhood, causing him to have no real friends except the women who took care of him.

Rumple grinned. "Good for you! Show those petty cats you're nobody's doormat, Archie!"

"Yeah the hypocrites!" Bae sneered. "Tell 'em to look in the mirror!"

"I think I shocked Lydia Gordon the most when I asked her how much more plastic she was going to invest in."

Bae and Rumple cracked up. "Good one, Archie!" Rumple sniggered. 'What did she say?"

"She just stood there with her mouth open and then I said you might want to close that before it attracts flies and crickets wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole."

"Nice one!" the former Dark One said, his eyes sparkling wickedly.

"Well, insult my daughter and Marie and this cricket speaks loud and carries a big umbrella!" Archie said, picking up the crockpot and carrying it outside.

"Family defends family," the pawnbroker said approvingly.

It was something the psychologist learned well the moment Marie and Gisella entered his life.

Once the food was set up on the table for the party, Rumple returned to the house, and as he had promised, began making a cooler for Bae to take with him on the fishing trip. He put in all the food he had made for the party in small amounts . . .including his Golden Delights, which were what he called his peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Then he handed the cooler to his son and said, "Here, Bae. See, I didn't forget you."

He had taken the food from the extra trays and pans he'd made, as he always made extra.

"Thanks Papa...better get going before the fish stop biting!"

"Yes . . .and make sure you come up for air while you still have bait on your hook!" teased his father.

"I know how to fish Papa...you wait...I'll come home with some of the biggest fish you've ever eaten!"

"I look forward to it. And hopefully you do, scamp." He ruffled his son's hair.

A horn beeped in the driveway and everyone was shocked to see Regina stepping out of her Mercedes, her arms loaded with gifts.

"I wanted to stop by and deliver these in person," she said.

Belle smiled at her. "Thank you, Regina." She took the gifts from her and put them on a table reserved for them. "How's Jason settling in?"

"Just fine...Henry likes having a brother...oh...Marie one of those is for you and Archie."

She glanced over at Archie. "Jason will need some sessions set up...been having nightmares."

"Of course. Call my office Monday and I'll set up something. Would you like to be present for them?"

"Yes...he prefers it that way."

"It's what I prefer too in such a young child," the therapist said.

"You might have an opening that day Archie," Marie told him.

"You can check my schedule when we go in Monday," he said calmly.

"I'll be able to check it on the laptop at home since I keep a backup there."

"Okay. If I do, we'll call you," he promised the mayor.

"And do you have an answer for me about the festival?"

Archie nodded. "Yes. It's going to be me, Marie, Gisella, Rumple, Belle, and Bae."

"And your team name?"

"How 'bout Spinning Crickets cause Uncle Rumple spins and Daddy likes crickets?" Gisella suggested.

Bae smiled. "Cute, Sella. Or how about Golden Wishes, since all of our wishes, except one, have come true and it's a play on my last name?"

"Kay...what wish didn't come true yet?"

"The baby my mama has needs to get born," he reminded her.

"Oh...and Mommy and Daddy gotta get married!"

"Yes, that too," agreed Bae.

"You want that for your name Archie? Golden Wishes?' inquired Regina.

"If everyone agrees..."

"Sounds fine to me," Rumple said.

"I love it." Belle murmured.

"So do I," agreed Marie.

"Me too!' Gisella said.

"All right, Golden Wishes it is then. Just remember to have your team flag ready for the opening ceremony march."

"We will, dearie," Rumple said. He gave her a small plate of Golden Delights. "Here, take this home to your boys."

"Those smell delicious...Granny is going to flip her lid when she realizes she has competition."

Rumple grinned wickedly. "Good. A little competition never hurt anyone."

"I'd better get going before my boys start worrying. Enjoy your gifts."

"Thank you, we will!" Belle assured her.

"I like her better now than I did during the curse," Marie said.

"Yes," agreed Belle. "It seems she's finally started to put aside her need for revenge and look at this as a chance to try and do things differently . .. for herself and the children she's raising. "

"She still has a lot of things to work out," Archie said softly.

"As do we all," Gold said. "I'm surprised you're not swamped with patients."

"I was at first but things are settling down and having Jack and Mina there is a huge help."

"A few of them were busybodies that don't like the idea of seeing me when they walk into his office," Marie said bitterly.

"Oh, tell them to shut up and deal with it!" Bae said.

Just then he heard the sound of Mark's horn beeping in the driveway, and grabbed the cooler and his fishing gear and called, "See ya! Have a good time opening up all the gifts. Gotta go!" Mark was dropping them off at the lake.

"I'd like to but I'm every inch the professional at work."

"Later alligator!" Giselle called after him.

Several more cars pulled up. Ruby, granny and Snow were in the first car, Mallory and Tiana were in the second and Barbara Allen and her grandmother were in the third.

A fourth car came up and Mrs. Muffet and her niece, Angela, got out, whom she lived with after getting divorced from Homer on grounds of irreconcilable differences.

Next Elmira Gulch rode up on her bicycle.

Major whined at the number of strangers intent on invading his home, but quieted when Gold gave him a signal to relax.

The ladies set their presents for the couple on one of the empty tables and took their seats after choosing a surprise gift from the bassinet.

There were at least fifty women in attendance, a higher turnout than they expected but thankfully they had enough room and food for everyone.

Emma arrived a few minutes later, carrying a large box.

"Fashionably late honey?" joked Snow.

"Yeah. Jeff was driving me nuts about some football game he was watching with Dad and I forgot the present because I was so annoyed with them and had to go back and get it." She indicated the large box wrapped in stork paper.

Marie snorted. "Some men! Not these two.." she pointed at her fiance and brother-in-law.

"There'll be none of those silly manhood interventions if Doctor Hopper goes through the same thing Rumple is when you have a baby, Marie," the baroness said.

"They're the ones who cooked all the food for the shower," Belle said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Rumple cried.

"Ummm...we ahhh...have to get married first..." Marie said nervously.

"Do you have the nursery ready yet?" quizzed Mallory.

Belle passed around some pictures they took of the nursery after it was finished. "Our son is quite the artist," she said proudly.

"And you still don't know yet? Why not?"

All the women praised Bae's talent and Mrs. Muffet said, "And polite too. He held the door open when I was going into the supermarket the other day."

"A gentleman...like his father," murmured Belle.

"Unlike that hoodlum Devereaux boy," scowled Dana, the mother of Missy and Timmy whom Bae and Andi had saved.

"That one had manners worse than a pig!" Granny snorted. "Used to come into the diner and order a huge breakfast and leave poor Ruby a quarter tip! And a mess all over afterwards."

"And the worst thing you can do is not tip a server properly. Even I know that!" Archie exclaimed.

"And I told Myra Harte she needed to put her foot down with Savannah," Elmira said. "But she wouldn't listen to me . . . let her daughter run wild . . .going out to all hours with that rogue boy, giving her an attitude . . .humph! No wonder the girl turned out like she did."

Mrs. Muffet rolled her eyes. "That wouldn't have been MY daughter! But Myra was always a meek little thing. "She's just high spirited" she used to say. That kind of high spirits needed curbing with a slipper to her behind!"

Elmira nodded. "The stories I could tell you about her, right, Belle? Once she told her mother to shut the F up! At the parent teacher conference I had with her because she was failing my class!"

The other women gasped.

Emma frowned. "Any kid of mine who spoke to me with such disrespect would have been eating Ivory and been grounded for a year."

"Mommy what's shut the f up mean?' Gisella asked her mother.

"Never mind and if I hear that word coming out of your mouth Gisella Bordreaux Hopper you'll be tasting Dove." warned her father.

"And time out and a swat too," Rumple added. "It's not something you should ever say . . . especially to your parents."

"Ooooo so it's the BIG dirty word that Eti the Yeti uses?"

"Yes." Rumple nodded.

"Okay I won't do it cause I don't like tasting Dove. It sucks."

They all laughed at her honesty.

"Can we play games now?"

"We have to eat first, Sella," her mother answered.

"And we have all the food out here on the patio," Belle said, leading the way outside.

Rumple and Archie would serve the food to the guests, with Archie serving his chili and Rumple the rest of the hot dishes, as well as telling everyone what was there.

Snow glanced down at Rumple's feet clad in slippers. "Swollen feet. One of the worst parts of being pregnant."

"Don't I know it. And Belle's are worse than mine."

"You boys didn't have to go to all this trouble...we could've served ourselves buffet style," said Elmira.

"That talk Rumple gave those idiot men did some of them good but not my Bill," grumbled the baroness.

"It's no trouble," Rumple said gallantly. "This way you know what's there so you don't take something you don't like."

"I do have certain allergies," Elmira admitted.

"Toned down the chili a bit eh, Doc?' Granny teased.

"Yes, since some people can't tolerate the full recipe," Archie replied. "But you'll have the original version for the festival."

"I'm trying out a new recipe this year...festival needs a queen of the cook off this year not a king..."

"You might want to rethink that, dearie. Since I'm participating in it too," Gold informed her.

"Oh, are you?" asked Mrs Muffett. "Granny we're in trouble because these boys are good cooks!"

"Thanks! And may the best cook win!" Rumple said.

Of course he was confident he would win for his Golden Dream cookies.

"That'll be me," Granny boasted with a grin.

And Archie wasn't called the chili king for nothing.

"I would love to take some of this home," Snow said.

"So would I, to show my husband a man can actually cook!"

"You can," Rumple said. "I have Tupperware."

The baroness smiled. "Any good cook does, dear."

"And just wait till ya taste the dessert!" Gisella bragged.

"Oh and what is for dessert, sweetie?" asked Ariel.

"It's not roadkill cause Uncle Rumple cooks real good and now Daddy bakes good too."

"Because Rumple taught me," Archie chuckled.

"Sella!" Marie groaned, shaking her head.

"Uncle Rumple made his Golden Delight cookies . . .an' a chocolate cake with bananas in the middle . . .and umm . . .I forget what else . . ."

"A marble cheesecake and parfaits, princess," her father supplied.

"Yeah that. Yummy!" she ate a pinwheel, smiling.

After everyone finished eating the men gathered up all the dishes that the women weren't going to use and put them aside to be washed.

The women all had some of the food and desserts set aside in Tupperware containers to take home for later.

Ruby nearly inhaled her Golden Delights, finding them amazing.

"This strawberry parfait is...divine!" exclaimed Tiana.

"Oh god...this cheesecake...sinfully delicious," Emma purred.

"If I eat another bite of this chocolate cake, I'm gonna gain ten pounds!" said Barbara Allen.

"You only live once sweetie," said her grandmother, reaching for another slice.

"You're right," Barbara laughed. "And if a guy doesn't like how I look-tough cookies!" Then she got another slice.

"Now can we play games?" demanded Gisella.

She flashed Mr. Gold a worshipful smile as she did so, since he had helped bring her assailant to justice.

Belle was getting used to the adoration her husband received now on a daily basis but whether she was bothered by it depended on who was doing the fawning.

She couldn't begrudge Barbara her adoration after what she endured.

And with Barbara, the adoration wasn't really physical attraction but more of a hero-worship . . . since after her experience with Keith, Barbara didn't trust men . . .except for her saviour, Mr. Gold.

And Doctor Hopper.

Archie smiled at his patient. She'd come a long way from that frightened young woman who first came to his office. It took weeks for her to finally be comfortable enough to discuss the cursed Spencer again remembering well how traumatized she'd been when he tried putting her on trial as he did Marie.

"I'm glad that bastard Spencer is gone!" said her grandmother. "Nasty man...trying to do to you what he did to my Barbara!"

"Shoulda turned him and the bad man into bugs an squished em," muttered Gisella.

Rumple couldn't help but agree with her . . .and if this had been their old realm, where justice was of a different, more brutal sort . . .he would have done so . . .once they'd been convicted of their crimes.

"And I'm glad that Zelena is a goat for what she did to my daddy!"

"Amen!" muttered Elmira, who had once been Zelena's tutor in magic.

She had never met a more spoiled, vindictive, envious child in her life . . . and that was saying something, considering who she used to be.

"All right ladies, we have a ton of word games first...baby crosswords, baby word search...baby word scrambles..." Belle announced.

"And what's the prize?" piped up Gisella.

"We have them over in the crib...you get to pick one," answered her mother.

"Ooo goodie!" she clapped her hands. "Will you help me? I can't read so good yet."

"Sure sweetie."

Rumple and Archie handed out copies of each kind of puzzle for the women and Gisella to solve. Then they went to refill the coffee maker and wash some of the dishes while the women were solving the games. The first ones done correctly would win a prize.

"I can't wait to see them do the bottle contest," Archie chuckled.

Rumple also fed Major, though the shepherd seemed full . . . probably because of all the food he'd been given under the table by women cozened by his imploring eyes.

They were going to have a baby bottle drinking race and guess the contents of the diaper.

Then there was Baby 911, with a doll Rumple had enchanted for this game. The women would be in teams nad have to deal with some kind of emergency with the baby, and whoever did the correct thing won a prize . . .besides just calling 911.

One of the last games they would have was an auction where they would bid on surprise gifts and the money would be donated to the Storybrooke Orphanage.

Snow finished hers first and chose a small prize from the crib, a gift card to Mallory's.

They even allowed Gisella to pick out a prize and she found a wool scarf made by Rumple that matched her winter coat.

She was so excited she almost spilled her cup of milk.

"Sella, sweetie, be careful!"

Then Rumple and Archie returned and had each table be a team and have to guess what was in each "dirty" diaper . . .there were melted candy bars in them and whoever got all five right won a prize.

"Ewww...looks like poop in there!" Gisella wrinkled her nose.

"It's not, poppet," Rumple assured her. "But you have to guess what it is. Would you like a hint?"

"Ummm...yeah."

"Okay. It's a what you call a famous candy bar," he whispered in her ear.

"But Uncle Rumple there's lots of em!"

He spread his hands. "Well, pick one. It's also a place you can visit in Pennsylvania."

"Ooh I get it...Hershey!"

Rumple clapped and said, "Write it on your paper, dearie. That's one out of five. Here comes a new one. You can smell it too."

"Okay but if it was real poop I wasn't sticking my nose in it...that's gross!"

"Now would I do that to you?" he mock-frowned at her.

"No..."

"Well, there you go then."

She sniffed the second diaper. "Ummm...is it a Butterfinger?"

"Write it down, and I'll announce what they are at the end," her uncle said.

"Okay."

She moved onto the next one and wrote down what she thought it was, hoping they could read it.

"All right, is everyone done guessing?" Belle asked.

"Yes!" they all chorused.

"Okay...let's see...Rumple...who is our winner?"

"Elmira Gulch!" he announced. "The answers were-Hershey bar, Butterfinger, Reeses peanut butter cup, Mounds, and Pay Day."

"Sounds like someone has been eating a lot of candy again and she shouldn't..." Snow scolded her fellow teacher.

Elmira scoffed. "One once in a while doesn't hurt my pretty."

"It does when you have diabetes, Elmira!"

Her prize was a certificate to the Stoyrbrooke Animal Shelter . . .good for one free adoption. "I hoped you'd win this," Gold confided when he handed her the prize.

"I think I'm ready for another friend now..."

"And there's one waiting for you," he assured her.

She hugged him. "Thank you dear."

"Rumple, ready to explain the next game?' Belle asked her husband.

"Sella, why don't you color us some pages while we do this one?" her mother suggested.

"But I wanna play with the doll!"

"Ummm...it's not to play with for this game, Princess." her father said.

"Awww!" she pouted and stomped her foot.

"Gisella, if I have to start counting you're getting a time out."

"Okay, attention please, ladies!" Rumple called. He began to explain the rules for the Baby 911 game. "Now . . .the doll is enchanted to simulate a real emergency . . .like choking, fever, ect . . . and you get points for identifying the problem and for dealing with it correctly. This is something some of you have already had to deal with or gods forbid may have to one day. So it's also good practice just in case."

"Daddy, that's scary!"

"Now do you see why I said it's not to play with?" Archie asked his daughter.

"Uh-huh."

Of all of them Emma had the most difficulty recognizing some of the problems the baby was having and ended up needing to call 911 most of the time.

When it was over . . .Marie and Granny tied.

"It's a good thing I'm not gonna have a kid anytime soon," the sheriff laughed. "Because the poor thing would be in the hospital more than it was home."

"Now you'll know if you do have one," Marie told her.

"Only if my boyfriend moves his butt and marries me this time."

"Speaking of boyfriends moving their butts and marrying their girlfriends..." Mrs. Muffet began and soon all eyes were on Archie. "What are you waiting for Doctor?"

"Yes, you already live together and though you don't share a bed...you should get married soon or tongues will wag," scolded the baroness.

"Umm . .. I know that," Archie blushed. "I'm . . .um . . . working on it."

"Rumple...smack some sense into this boy!" ordered Mrs. Allen.

Smirking, Rumple cuffed his future brother-in-law on the back of the head." That good, dearie? Or you want Belle to get her broom?"

"We should just elope!" grumbled Marie.

"You will NOT!" cried Belle.

"What's elope mean, Mommy?"

"A quickie, secret wedding."

"Why would you wanna do that?"

Because I doubt anyone besides family will be there, Marie thought sadly.

"Never mind...let's start the next game...the baby bottle drinking contest and you can do this one, Sella."

"Yay!" Gisella said.

"Okay, here are the rules: you have to fill your bottles up to the eight ounce line with water and drink them like a baby would...no squeezing the bottle and no biting the nipple. First one done wins," Belle explained. Then she handed bottles to Rumple and Archie. "You have to play too."

"Ready, Hopper?" Rumple grinned challengingly.

'You think I can't do it? Watch me."

"Ready...get set...GO!" Belle shouted.

Rumple began sucking away, and the water was going down fast.

"Come on Sella !" Marie cheered. "Come on Archie!"

"Leave them in the dust Rumple!" Belle encouraged.

Rumple almost had the bottle finished, sucking hard on it. But others were very close too.

"Done!" Emma announced holding up her bottle.

"Drat!" Rumple sighed, he'd come in second.

"Aww crap I was close!" whined Gisella.

"All right Emma, pick your prize."

The sheriff rooted through the gifts in the crib and took out a large box. In it was a coffee maker, one she desperately needed for the station since theirs was broken.

The last game was the auction . . .with the surprise gifts.

Belle and Rumple labeled each package giving vague hints as to what was inside and several of them were prank gifts like a pack of toilet paper.

It took everything they had to laugh when Archie won the bid at sixty dollars for the toilet paper.

"A good way to keep clean...funny one, Rum," he muttered.

Gisella giggled. "You bought toilet paper, Daddy!"

"I know, princess, but it's for a good cause . . ." he laughed.

"Well I can cross that off the shopping list," Marie said.

"A whoopie cushion? Really Rumple?"Emma asked.

"You can play tricks on Jeff," he smirked.

"This tea set is lovely," remarked Elmira.

"So is this Ninja blender," Barbara said.

"Are you gonna open your gifts now Aunt Belle?"

"Yes," Belle said, and went to sit down in the "throne of honor"-a recliner Rumple had brought out so she could put her feet up.

Marie handed her Regina's gift first since she was not at the baby shower. The young mother to be opened it and was stunned to see a christening gown inside.

"Ohhh...Rumple...look!" she gasped.

Rumple examined the tiny gown of silk and satin with seed pearls sewn into it and a lace cap. "It's beautiful, Belle. The one who made this was a master."

"Here's a note. _'Belle, he may not remember this but Rumple made this for me when I was a baby but my mother refused to use it...wanted to throw it away but my father saved it. Now I return it to him. It's only fitting his own child should wear it...Regina._'" she read.

Rumple's hands caressed the gown . . .and he remembered then. He had spent painstaking hours sewing this, using special sharp needles to sew the silk and the pearls on with gold thread he'd spun. There were even matching little booties.

"I didn't know you made a christening gown for her," Belle said to him.

"Yes . . .because even though I disliked Cora with a passion . . .her daughter was only a wee baby . . .and I did like Henry."

"It doesn't surprise me Cora wanted to throw away something so beautiful...as long as it wasn't hers it didn't matter,' mumbled Elmira.

"Well . . .now it's come full circle . . . " Rumple mused and thought how strange were the workings of fate.

"This one is from David and me," announced Snow.

Belle opened the box to reveal a plush rocking horse, complete with a comeable mane and tail and a real leather saddle and bridle. The rocking horse had a special infant seat you could attach to it to rock a baby until the baby was old enough to sit on it and rock itself.

"Very nice, dearie" Rumple said, chuckling. "It would have to do with horses, knowing your husband."

"This next one is from me dears," announced Elmira. The former wicked witch bought a large plush lion that looked like the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz.

"Oh! How lovely!" Belle exclaimed. Barbara gave them a lovely layette set and also a bunch of books for the baby's library . . . "Because if this little one's anything like it's mama it'll come out born reading."

Archie, Marie and Gisella bought them onesies with funny saying on them. One said I'm Cute and So Is My Daddy and another said Mommy's Little Bookworm with a picture of a worm with glasses holding a book on it.

Mrs. Muffet had chipped in with her good friend Pat Allen and the two had bought a four in one stroller/infant car seat . . .complete with soft baby toys.

Emma had gotten them a diaper bag with everything they could possibly need inside it . . .including a book called Baby 411. And a little shirt that said Just a Cute Little Bundle of Trouble with Lady and the Tramp on it and matching socks.

Granny and Ruby's gift was a mobile with roses and spinning wheels on it made by Geppetto.

Everyone oohed and ahhed over that.

The baroness's gift was a set of rattles and pacifiers.

Others gave gifts of feeding dishes, bottles, a bathing sponge and bath toys, lots of clothes, a diaper pail, burpees, and other things a baby might need.

Rumple's gift was all the nursery furniture . . . save for the crib, which was from Maurice.

"Everything is wonderful, thank you all so much!" Belle wiped tears from her eyes.

"That's from me, Mama," Bae announced, coming into the backyard with Andi.

Andi held a small wrapped package in her hands.

"Bae! Where did you . . .how did you get the money to pay for this?" Belle sputtered.

"Uh . . . I worked afternoons for a lot of people around here, and in Papa's shop." Bae said.

"What is it Belle?" Marie asked.

It was a baby cradle hand carved by August. . .with a painted headboard of a sheep jumping over the moon. "That's my painting. I thought it needed something."

"It's beautiful..." Belle sobbed and hugged her son.

"And this is from me and Mark," Andi handed her the package. Inside was a beautiful appliquéd bib with a blue butterfly on it and the words "Love is hope, and here's a miracle." "Umm . . . I made it. One thing I still remember how to do that my mama taught me is to embroider." The girl said shyly.

"It's perfect Andi. Thank you..."

Rumple took it to examine it and said, "Yes. Excellent stitching here. Very fine and neat. You had a good teacher, lass."

"My mama was the best with a needle,' Andi said softly, remembering her patient gentle mother sewing on tapestries and clothing in their castle. "I'm not half as good."

Marie and Archie started cleaning everything up and the guests began to leave, Rumple telling them to make sure they took some of the food home as he didn't want it to go to waste.

Gisella handed out the favors to everyone.

Bae showed Rumple the six large trout he'd caught in the lake. Andi had caught three. All the fish had been cleaned and filleted by the teenagers.

"Well, we know what we're having for dinner tonight!" Belle said with a laugh.

"We're going to head home, Belle," Marie said.

Belle hugged her sister, niece, and almost brother-in-law. "Thanks for helping with everything. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Family helps family," Archie said repeating Rumple's words.

"Now if you would make it official..."

"Ummmm...about that...the reason why Marie and I are having such a hard time trying to set a date is...ah...our theme is a bit...unique."

Rumple cocked his head. "What is it?"

"We want to have a Greek wedding...he always calls me his goddess and I call him my Adonis...and we both love mythology," Marie explained.

"I know...crazy...maybe we're better off having a simple ceremony."

And he knew there were still people in town who doubted he and Marie would last.

Marie picked up Gisella who was starting to tire and needed a nap or she would be cranky.

Belle frowned. Of all of them, her poor sister seemed to be having the hardest time getting her happily ever after. She knew Marie wouldn't completely feel secure until she was married to Archie.

And she lay the blame for it at the feet of Cora and Gaston.

"We'll talk about it when we get home," Marie said softly.

"Call me if you need me," Belle said and hugged her again.

"I will."

Gisella had fallen asleep before they got back to the house. Archie carefully lifted her out of the backseat and carried her inside. Pongo started barking as soon as they walked in the door.

"Pongo…sit," he commanded gently. The Dalmatian returned to his spot on the rug and rested his head on his paws.

Gisella stirred for a moment. "Daddy….where we goin'?" she asked sleepily.

"You are going to bed, Princess."

"Not sleepy," she protested then closed her eyes again. Marie went upstairs ahead of him to get Gisella's pajamas ready for when he brought her in. Together they changed their sleeping daughter and tucked her into bed, each kissing her small cheek. Archie gently lifted her arm and placed Rose under it before he stepped out into the hallway. He wasn't tired and planned on watching a movie hoping Marie would join him but some nights she preferred to stay in her room and read. He was learning quickly that sometimes lovers needed their own space for a time or they became irritated with each other.

He started down the stairs when he heard Marie behind him. "Going to watch a movie?" she asked softly.

"Yes. You don't have to join me if you're not up to it."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were a little upset after we mentioned the wedding."

"We do need to talk about that but not right now. Just give me a few minutes."

"All right."

He hoped she wasn't planning on putting it off too long.


	10. Feel

10

~ Feel ~

_Every breath that's going thru you_

_Take each day that's given to you_

_To love back the ones who love you…_

Chicago – Feel

Archie was looking forward to the two of them spending the rest of the evening alone on the sofa. He was too distracted thinking about it and fell down the rest of the steps.

"Owww…dammit!" he groaned, his ankle and leg throbbing with pain.

"Archie, did you…Archie! Baby, what happened?" Marie asked, running down the steps after him.

"Fell down the damned steps," he grumbled.

"Oh no! Maybe we should go to the hospital."

"No…just need to sit down and put some ice on this," he said, indicating his foot. "I didn't fall far enough to have sprained it I think." He grabbed the bannister and pulled himself up.

"No, you're going to lie down. Come on." She put his arm around her shoulders and helped him walk into the living room and lay down on the sofa. She grabbed several of the throw pillows and tucked two behind his head and elevated his foot with another. "You stay put and I'll be right back."

He had no intentions of getting up…yet.

Marie returned from the kitchen with the ice pack they kept in the freezer, a glass of water and some aspirin. She handed him the pills and water and sat down on the sofa and put his legs across her lap and checked his foot over for any signs of an injury. "Just a bit of a brush burn from the carpet though," she went on while she held the ice pack on his foot. "You didn't trip over Sella's slinky did you?"

"No, she learned her lesson the last time she left it on the steps and I almost tripped over it. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going, that's all."

She laughed. "I've done that before and most of the time it was on the stage at that damned club but mostly because my leg was still messed up from my accident. Maybe if I try what Rumple did with me your foot will feel better."

"Ummm….what did he do?"

"Just relax and think lovely thoughts…" she said softly and gently massaged his sore foot. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, feeling the pain fade away under her touch. The lovely thoughts he was having were of her and how much he wanted to hold her….kiss her. "When he was doing this…with me….I told them I was thinking about some actor in a movie but the only face I saw in my mind was yours…I was still trying to tell myself I didn't love you….that I _couldn't _love you…"

Unable to help himself any longer, he reached for her and brought her lips down on his. "There were so many times when I had to keep pinching myself to convince myself I wasn't dreaming that _you_ could love _me_…" he whispered between kisses. "I'm not the handsomest man around….."

"I don't care…you're everything I've ever wanted in one!" she cried and kissed him back.

Their plans for watching a movie together were soon forgotten as they were content to lie in each other's arms. A short time later they drifted off to sleep, waking up when they heard a noise in the kitchen. Archie grabbed his umbrella, motioned for Marie to stand behind him and tiptoed toward the kitchen. The couple breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their daughter rummaging through the refrigerator and putting items on the table. Archie flipped the light switch, startling the little girl.

"Gisella Hopper, what is that?" he asked pointing at the items she had sprawled out on the kitchen table.

"Ummm…I was hungry…"

"Are you planning on eating us out of house and home?" he teased.

"No, but I really wanted a snack and you were sleepin…"

"All right, let's see what we can do here. Do you want anything, Marie?"

She smiled. "Surprise me."

He put everything else away but for the ice cream and the ingredients to make banana splits.

"Oooh, these are better n'the ones we get at the ice cream shop!' Gisella cried excitedly.

"You won't hear any arguments from me on that," Marie murmured, her breath catching when she felt his finger gently wipe some chocolate drizzle from her chin.

"You want to help me clean up, Princess?"

"Okay, Daddy!"

Marie loved watching the two of them doing things together as father daughter, even something that was boring to others as washing dishes. As she said to him earlier, it was the little things he did that made her love him. While Archie was washing the dishes, Gisella scooped up some of the soapy water and threw it on him.

"Gisella!" Marie cried.

Archie smirked and splashed his daughter back. "Didn't think I would, did you?"

"My turn!" she laughed and splashed him again.

"Better run Princess or you're getting soaked!"

"You're not getting me!" the little girl ran behind the chair. He scooped more water out of the sink and threw it, trying to hit Gisella but it landed on Marie instead.

"Ummm….sorry darling," he said sheepishly.

"You are going to get it, Hopper!" Marie whistled as she walked over to the refrigerator, opened it and grabbed the pitcher of cold water. Then she dumped it over his head.

"Ahhh! Marie!"

"She got you good Daddy!" His shirt and the front of his pants were soaked.

"Let's see how she likes this…" he murmured and pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

"You're….getting me soaked…you…" she gasped. "Oh, who cares!" She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, forgetting for a moment their daughter was in the room.

"If you're gonna make out, I'm going to bed. NITEEEEE," Gisella threw over her shoulder and ran out of the kitchen. They broke their kiss and followed their daughter upstairs. Archie read her one of her favorite bedtime stories but she'd fallen asleep halfway through it. After they kissed her goodnight and made sure Rose was in her arm, they stepped out into the hall.

"Are you going back downstairs?" Marie asked him.

"No. Are you?"

"No. Is your foot feeling better?"

"Hurts a bit but at least I can walk on it now." He turned and walked into his bedroom, unaware that she'd followed him until he felt her touch his shoulder.

She wasn't sure why she'd done it and she tried to tell herself it was because she was concerned he was in more pain than he was letting on but the truth was she wasn't ready to say goodnight yet. Their eyes met.

She wanted him to give her any sign that he was thinking the same…that maybe they were ready even if they weren't yet married. What did it matter anymore? People were already assuming they were sleeping together.

_No, Marie! He said he wanted to wait and he's a man of his word, not like those other bastards you've gotten involved with because you wanted to forget what Gaston did to you. And what happened after you slept with them? They were gone the next morning without even so much as phone call. _

_Archie's not like that. He'll be there when I wake up. He always has been. _

_Yes but will he still respect you? No. What he'll see is what everyone has been calling you…a tramp. Do you really want that? Now turn around and walk away before you screw things up again. _

"I'm not ready to say good night yet," he confessed nervously.

"Neither am I…"

_What is happening to me? _he thought. He'd never invited her into his room alone before and he'd never been in hers alone before yet he didn't want her to leave. He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her again with more passion than he ever had before and fell back onto the bed still holding Marie in his arms, neither of them aware they'd crossed a line they never dared to.

"Marie…" he moaned. Desire like he'd never felt before washed over him in waves. He held her tighter against him, his hands reaching under her tank top to caress her back. Since they'd gotten engaged, they were being more intimate with each other but always broke it off before it went too far. That night neither of them was thinking about breaking it off, not when they were both feeling the same need to want to take the risk and go further.

"Archie…" she whispered, her own hands undoing the buttons on his shirt. They rolled over on the bed until she lay beneath him and he pulled her tank top up over her head and let it fall on the floor leaving her wearing only her bra. She pushed his shirt off and it fell on the other side of the bed. "I want to make love to you so much…" she moaned and kissed him again.

_Hopper, what the HELL are you doing? _a voice raged inside his head. _ You can't do this NOW, you're not taking any precautions and besides, you don't know HOW to do what you want to do!_

_Doesn't take much to figure it out, boy, _another voice that sounded a lot like his father's taunted. _And your body's telling you what it wants so what the hell are you waiting for? She obviously wants you or she would've said something by now. And you don't need any precautions, remember. That bitch in Wonderland took care of that when she cursed you. You can't sire anything until it breaks._

_This is wrong and you know it, Archie. She's not like those other women in that damned club and if you let lust get the better of you and get her with child before you're married, you've just given those gossips in town a reason to scorn you both! And you also know that Rumple and Belle were cursed to and they are having a child but they are married! No, when you do this, let it be within the bounds of holy matrimony. _

"Marie….we can't….not now…" he panted and got out of bed, his body trembling as he fought back the desire to go back and finish what they'd started but he was terrified he couldn't please her the way he wanted to and he didn't want to get her pregnant before they were married.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Marie asked worriedly.

"Nothing…" he croaked.

"Baby….talk to me." She reached for his hand. "Oh God, Archie, you're _trembling!_ What is it?"

"I…ah….my foot's still bothering me…and I guess I'm more tired than I thought…"

_Liar. _

"Are you sure? Archie, don't shut me out. Please, tell me what's wrong?" she begged.

_Isn't it obvious Marie? You came onto him just like Zelena and those other sluts in the Foxtrot and now he thinks you ARE one. What were you thinking? How many times has he told you he wants to wait? _

"We'll ahhh talk about it in the morning…" he said quickly.

"All right. Good night baby, don't forget to take your contacts out."

He nodded. She picked up her discarded tank top and walked out of the room, trying as best she could not to break down in front of him but when he closed the door she turned around and leaned against it, sobbing quietly, unaware that he was leaning against the other side of the door, his hand poised over the knob while his conscience was at war with itself. The trouble was, half of it sounded like one of the two people he couldn't stand and they'd never been the kind of role models he needed.

_Go to her and tell her the TRUTH! _

_Are you kidding me boy? She'll laugh her ass off or call you a liar. Men aren't virgins at your age. _

They both stood there for several minutes, each wanting to go to the other to try to talk out what went wrong but neither of them found the courage to do so. Dejected, they retreated to their separate beds, finding sleep that night impossible.

After spending half the night tossing and turning, begging the voices in his head to leave him alone Archie could barely see when he woke up the next morning. He took his contacts out and put them in their case to soak, wearing his glasses instead when he went downstairs to get breakfast ready. They were all supposed to go to Rumple and Belle's for Sunday dinner.

He already had the eggs cooked and was putting them on the plates when Gisella walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Daddy!" Giselle chirped.

"Morning Princess," he mumbled.

She frowned. "Daddy, why d'ya sound so grumpy?"

"I'm not. I just didn't sleep well last night."

She hated seeing her daddy grumpy and hoped her mother would cheer him up. A short time later her mother walked into the kitchen and went directly to the coffee pot. Gisella sighed deeply. She only did that when she was grumpy too. She noticed something else that bothered her. Her parents didn't kiss each other good morning like they did every other morning.

The couple mumbled a brief good morning to each other while he finished getting breakfast ready and she poured herself a strong cup of coffee. After the sleepless night she had, she needed it. Marie sat down across from him at the table. "Archie, we should talk about…"

"Not right now, please," he said flatly and started eating his breakfast. "Later."

"How much later will that be?"

_When I can finally work up the courage to, _he thought. Now he could barely look her in the eye.

"Mommy, what's wrong with you guys. You get up on the wrong side of the bed or what?" Gisella demanded.

"Gisella, don't start," Marie warned.

"But…"

"Gisella, you heard your mother, now hush!"

There was a tense silence at the table as the family finished their breakfast.

"Mommy and Daddy got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!" she grouched to her aunt when they arrived at Rumple and Belle's two hours later.

"Gisella, enough," Marie said shortly.

"Well you did!"

"Gisella, your mother said stop it, now stop it," snapped Archie.

"But Daddy…."

"I'm not in the mood for one of your fits."

"See!" the little girl whined.

They had a fight...Belle thought worriedly. "Gisella go in the room with Bae please," Belle instructed her niece.

Once she was out of sight Belle turned to the couple. "Now do you want to tell me what is going on?"

'"We just...didn't sleep well last night." Marie explained.

"Belle, is Rumple home? There's...something I need to talk to him about."

"He should be in his office, Archie."

"Good," he muttered and left the room in search of his future brother-in-law.

"Now...what is going on, Marie because neither of you are acting like yourselves and it can't be from a lack of sleep!"

"It is...on my end," Marie sniffled. "I've been up all night asking myself a million times what's wrong and I can't figure it out!"

"Did you two have a fight after you got home?"

"No! In fact everything was normal until..."

"Until what?"

"We always tuck Sella in together...she loves that and after she goes to sleep...we say goodnight to each other, always with a kiss."

"He didn't kiss you?"

"Oh we kissed but things got a little...heated..." Marie blushed.

"Go on..."

"I mean I know we agreed we'd wait but you know it's so damned hard to when you love someone so much that even the slightest touch makes you burn...and I've felt that way about Archie since our first 'official' date. We were so caught up in the moment neither of us realized we somehow ended up in his room standing in front of the bed but all of a sudden he got nervous and broke it off..." Marie brushed tears from her eyes. "Belle, I know this sounds crazy but for a moment the man I loved looked absolutely terrified!"

She'd omitted several details and outright lied about others, not wanting to make the situation worse than it already was…that she was the one who made the first move and that they were actually in bed when it happened and she'd gotten his shirt and he'd taken hers off before he panicked.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Or maybe I'm wrong...I don't know. So I just told him goodnight...and reminded him to take his contacts out before he went to sleep...he has a bad habit of forgetting to do that...and I started to go back to my own room but I didn't...I just stood in front of his door...wanting to go back in and ask him what was wrong...beg him to talk to me...then I left and went to my room but I didn't sleep at all!"

"And this morning?"

"He was already awake and cooking breakfast when I got up...has to wear his glasses today because he did leave his contacts in all night! And he barely spoke to me!"

"Did you ask him what was wrong?"

"Yes...and all he said was he had trouble sleeping. Then Gisella wasn't helping by grouching at both of us for being cranky..."

"Hopefully Rumple can get something out of him."

"I hope so too...I hate seeing him like this..."

Belle reached out and took her sister's hand. "It's going to be okay, Marie. We'll get this straightened out."

"I hope so Belle. I…almost lost him once because of my stupidity….I don't want to lose him again…"

Rumple was doing the accounts for this month's rent on his computer, and his eyes were starting to get a tad blurry from staring at the screen for so long. He had his feet, in their blue extra wide velcro slippers, propped up on a stool under his desk.

He looked up and saw Archie standing there in the doorway. "Hello. You come for a visit or . . .is there something bothering you?"

"That's an understatement..." Archie mumbled.

"Well, don't just stand there, Hopper, come in and shut the door. I don't have a couch here, but maybe my Queen Anne brocade chair will do, huh?" He jerked his head at the antique chair with its lovely plum and gold rose brocade sitting in front of his desk.

"I think for this...I need a drink...a strong one!"

Rumple raised an eyebrow. "That sounds pretty damn dire . . .but, okay, how about we go down to The Rabbit Hole? I just need to close out this program." He tapped a few keys quickly.

He hoped that Marie and Archie weren't fighting . . .because he wasn't very good at playing marriage counselor . . .he'd only been married for almost a year himself!

Archie raked his hand through his hair. "I'm a therapist for God's sake and I feel like I'm having a breakdown so yes...let's go the Rabbit Hole! Maybe a Scotch or two will give me the courage I seem to have lost in the last twenty-four hours!"

"I'll buy," Rumple said quickly.

If he could even find the courage to say it...

_You did...in open court...but no one figured it out...not even your own fiancée._

"Thanks..."

Rumple rose, trying not to wince as he stood on his perpetually swollen feet. He shoved a small bottle of Tums into the pocket of his heather purple Izod shirt and brushed off his charcoal gray slacks. "Okay. Let me tell Belle where I'm going then we'll take my car over . . ."

"She's ...talking to Marie."

_Who probably thinks you shut her out because SHE is the one with the problem when she's not._

So many times he thought about telling her...only to lose his nerve.

"I won't interrupt much, but Belle likes to know where I go when I leave . . . just in case she needs to get in touch with me . . .like if she goes into labor or something . . .I know it's early but . . ." He ducked into the kitchen and called, "Belle, Archie and I are going out for a drink . . . well he is, anyway, just wanted to let you know, okay?"

"All right..." She got up. "Get it out of him...whatever is bothering him...get it out of him!" she hissed.

Marie was sitting at the table crying.

He nodded. "If he'll tell anyone, it'll be me." He gave his wife a kiss. "We'll be back in awhile."

"T...Thank you Rumple," Marie sniffled.

"Not a problem, dearie," he handed her one of his handkerchiefs, which he always carried now in his pocket. The pregnancy hormones sometimes caught him off guard.

Archie was pacing like a caged tiger outside while he waited for Rumple, hoping he wouldn't lose his nerve again. He had to tell someone and who better than his future brother in law...if there even was a wedding.

Rumple returned and said, "Okay, let's get over there before someone else needs something from me."

"I'm sorry to have to do this...but I...don't feel comfortable discussing it with anyone else...yet."

He just feared what Rumple's reaction would be. Would he laugh?

"That's fine. And whatever it is . . . I just hope I can help you with it," Rumple said calmly.

"Maybe...just telling someone will help..."

_The basket case that you are right now Hopper, it's amazing you can even treat your patients!_

"It usually does. Like a certain therapist once said to me regarding my son and I-it's not good to let your feelings get all bottled up . .. because then you explode like dropped can of soda."

And he did feel like he was about to explode.

Back at the house, Belle was comforting her heartbroken sister as much as she could.

"Why do I always keep screwing things up with him? Why?!" Marie moaned. "I love him so much…I _want _him, unlike any of the other bastards I've been with but when I get too close he pulls away….like he _does _think I'm damaged goods…or a whore…"

"Marie, he's told you he doesn't want to make love until you're married, maybe because he thinks it wouldn't feel right. Believe me, I've been where you are with Rumple…not for the same reasons you have but still…now that I think back on it…had we given in all those times…it wouldn't have felt right. Is what you told me really what happened last night or was there more?"

Marie sighed. "There was more…"

"Maybe you'd better tell me all of it. I know….I don't tell you everything Rumple and I do together but obviously what happened between you last night is causing a rift in your relationship and you don't need that. Not after everything you've been through together."

"When we got home…we put Sella to bed together like we always do and Archie was going to go downstairs to watch a movie. He does that sometimes while I stay up in my room and read but last night I wanted to be with him and while I was up in my room I heard a thump and he'd fallen down the steps!"

"Oh God! Was he hurt? I didn't notice him limping or anything."

"Well, his foot was bothering him a bit….he missed a step…said he wasn't paying attention so I got him in the living room and on the sofa and we put an ice pack on it. Everything was fine…until I…decided I wanted to give him a little massage…and Belle when Rumple was doing that to me, Ben Barnes wasn't on my mind like I made it sound…it was Archie."

Belle smirked. "I thought so after I found out about the two of you!"

Marie blushed. "Well….Archie was shocked at first but then he started to relax and the next thing I knew we were in each other's arms kissing…and we've kissed plenty of times before but it was a bit more….passionate than before."

"So did he panic then?"

"No we had a snack with Gisella first but after we put her to bed we went into his room and we started kissing again and we ended up in bed…._together…._and we've never done that before."

"I had that happen between Rumple and me several times in the Dark Castle…us being in a somewhat compromising position and believe me….had he NOT broken it off, we would've made love right then and there. And you know it was even harder when we started dating here."

"Archie I know probably turned as red as his hair when he heard me talking to you about how much you wanted Rumple after I caught you icing yourself down." She sighed. "While we were in bed…he'd gotten my top off…I still had my bra and I'd taken off his shirt….so we were partially undressed and I told him how much I wanted to make love to him…that's when he panicked and got up!"

"What did he say?"

"He said we couldn't…not yet…but oh gods Belle we were so close and it felt so good having him hold me and kiss me like that…and he wanted to…I felt like he wanted to… but when I took his hand and asked him to talk to me…it was trembling, _he _was trembling!"

"So you told him goodnight and reminded him to take his contacts out?"

"Yes but I stood outside his room for a bit, wanting to go back in and beg him to talk to me and Belle….I could've sworn he was standing on the other side wanting to come talk to me…or he wanted me to come back."

"He probably was…you know each other well enough that you can sense how the other is feeling even if you're not in the same room."

"We don't have a magical bond…not like you and Rumple."

"Even two ordinary people can bond like that and Marie, we could feel the passion between you from the day you met in the Dark Castle. It _is _as strong as ours."

"How do I make this right, Belle? I don't want to lose him!"

"You talk it out when he gets back," Belle advised. "If he still tries to stonewall you, you keep at him until he tells you what's wrong. I have a feeling he can be as stubborn as Rumple when he wants to and you can't give up otherwise this is never going to work between you."

The men reached the bar and Rumple snagged a table out of the way in a corner while Archie ordered his drink. The usual crowd was there-Jeff, David, Sean Herman, and some of the dwarves.

Archie ordered a Scotch, asking the bartender to make it a strong one...he was going to need it...or a few. Maybe being completely intoxicated would give him the courage he needed.

Rumple munched on snack mix while he waited for Archie to come back, ignoring the few curious and some downright rude stares he was getting from some patrons.

"What's Gold doing here?"

"Probably needed to get out of the house . .. must be driven crazy by now," David said. "Snow used to make me want to tear my hair out with her fussing."

"Hopper looks like shit today...Maybe the dancer wore him out last night," sneered Sean Herman.

Archie was returning to their table when he caught the tail end of Herman's remark and snorted.

Rumple signaled one of the barmaids. "A ginger ale, please, dearie."

If they only knew...

"Of course Mr. Gold," she said sweetly. "And hello to you too, Doctor Hopper..."

"Hello," Archie mumbled and slid into his seat.

She went over to get Gold's ginger ale. and as she passed Sean, he went and gave her a smack on the backside. "Hey, Trixie, you can run over here next . . .those two ain't got anything for ya."

"Silly wabbit...Trixie's not for you!"

He guffawed. "Hopper's got that hot lil number and Gold's so whipped he probably bends over and lets his wife beat him!"

"Oh is HE dead," Jeff muttered.

"That was a short hop to an early grave," David added.

"Son of a bitch," Archie hissed.

Rumple turned skewered Herman with an icy glare. "Excuse me? Did I just hear you say something about me and my wife? How'd you like to be pondslime? AFTER I beat you with this?" He shook his cane pointedly at the half-drunk idiot.

"My money's on Gold!" whooped another patron.

"Cane of doom for the win!" hooted another.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." Archie mumbled.

Rumple held up a finger. "Well?" he demanded in a terrible soft voice. "Answer me, boy. Or shall I just start swinging?"

"No,...don't want to be pondslime..." Sean slurred.

"I woulda beat him like he owed me money and called it a day," Jeff said.

"You've been watching too much Miami Vice!" David admonished his daughter's boyfriend.

"I lived it."

"I really think we should go..." Archie moved to get up.

"Drunken ass!" Rumple scowled. "Okay . . . I'll let it go . . .but next time you talk trash about me, Herman . . ." he snapped his fingers and a puff of blue smoke drifted through the air.

Rumple held out a hand. "No . . .sit down and finish your drink. That idiot will mind his mouth now . . ."

He gave Trixie a fifty dollar tip when she came back with his ginger ale. "Here's some extra, dearie, for putting up with the likes of HIM!"

Archie's fingers tightened around his glass. He'd only taken a few sips but he was starting to feel more relaxed. He didn't drink much and when he did it was usually a glass of wine when he and Marie went out to dinner.

Gold sipped his ginger ale and waited for his almost brother-in-law to start talking patiently.

"I know you and Belle are…ahhh...wondering when Marie and I are getting married...and we did tell you one reason why we haven't yet..."

"Yes, go on," Rumple said, giving him an encouraging smile. Pre-wedding jitters he could handle.

Their theme was unconventional but it suited them.

"I know dressing like ancient Greek gods is a bit unconventional but we both love mythology...and those damned busybodies in town..."He took another long sip. "If there even is a wedding!" he moaned.

Or it will end after your wedding night due to disappointment with the groom...

"Why wouldn't there be, dearie?"

"We both agreed we'd wait to share a bed until after we're married but last night..."

He was blushing as red as his hair.

Rumple gave him a knowing look. "Did you break that promise?" he queried softly.

"No! And I know Marie thinks she did something wrong but it's not her...it's ME!"

His hands shook so much he could barely hold his glass.

Rumple leaned forward. "What do you mean-it's you?" He was so intent upon Archie he forgot anyone else was in the room.

"Do you...ahhh...remember when we were in court and I said I wouldn't sleep with a woman unless I was married to her...?"

"Yes . . .and I happen to think that's right . . .I've told Bae that often enough . . .and I did that with both of my wives."

"So last night when I was nervous with Marie, I assumed she knew what I meant...but she didn't and now I'm sure she wants to call the whole thing off!"

"Well, did you explain it to her? She won't know that's how you feel unless you tell her. The Bordreaux women are intuitive, Archie, but they're not mind readers."

He hoped Rumple would understand what he was trying to say without having to spell it out...

"I...I lost my nerve but I thought it was obvious..."

"Sometimes what's obvious to you isn't to someone else . . . even if they love you," Rumple began.

"Do YOU know what I'm talking about?"

He hoped to hell the answer was yes...otherwise...he would explode.

And he'd been on the verge of it all day...

"I . . .I think so . . .you want to wait until you're married to consummate your marriage and you don't know how to put it so Marie will understand . . .Archie, all you have to do is open up your mouth-"

"Oh gods...Rumple...I'M A VIRGIN!" he shouted.

Rumple spilled his ginger ale all over the table.

The next sounds heard were bottles and glasses crashing to the floor.

"Oh...my...God..." Jeff whispered.

"Did he just say he was...?"

"Oh God I can't believe I said it that loud," Archie moaned, wanting to crawl under the table.

Then several of the patrons started laughing.

Archie buried his face in his hands, never having felt so embarrassed in all his life.

"How the hell can he still be...he's what...FORTY?"

"And dating a stripper! There's no way in shit she hasn't popped his cherry yet!"

More laughter ensued.

Rumple rose to his feet, and it seemed like the room suddenly darkened and the lights flickered eerily. "Okay . . .the next one who makes a smartass remark is going to get my cane up his ass! AND his hide tacked to a wall! So . . .who'd like to be first?"

The room fell silent.

All except for Sean Herman who laughed again. "Gonna teach him how to do it, Rumple?"

"Better call the coroner Jeff...and Mitchell to identify the body once Gold gets done," David advised.

"Maybe I ought to teach YOU some manners?" Gold spat, coming over to poke the inebriated Sean in the chest with his cane. "Because you sure as hell didn't learn any from your papa! Shall I remedy that, boy?" he hissed, and his cane started glowing and shooting sparks. "Mike, you want a new dartboard?"

"Could use one!"

"As deserving as it is, can't let you do that, Rum," Jeff said.

"Why not? It'd be community service!"

Archie was on the verge of a breakdown. Trixie pulled up a chair beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. "I think it's wonderful if you are, Doctor Hopper."

"I am..." he murmured.

"Yeah, but how?" quizzed Leroy.

"Rum, you turn him into a dartboard and we use him for practice it would be murder and I don't think Belle wants her baby's father in jail," Jeff reasoned.

"You gonna answer me or what, Hopper? How the HELL are you still a virgin at your age? We all know how you're with."

"It's none of your goddam business!" Archie raged.

Rumple froze with his cane halfway lifted to administer the final coup de gras. "Dammit, Jeff!" he swore. But he knew the hatter was right. He lowered his cane, snarling, "If I didn't want to upset my wife, Herman, you'd be on the wall right now!" Then he gestured, and Sean was hanging by his shoelaces from the ceiling. "Maybe that'll teach you to watch your mouth, you dumbass!"

Archie was out of his chair and glaring over at the dwarf at the table opposite him. "And I know you all think something happened between Marie and I the night we met at that damned club but it didn't!"

Rumple turned to the bartender. "There, Mike! A new ceiling fan."

"Nice one, Rum!"

"Come on Hopper, give us break."

"I'm not giving you anything!"

The courage and self-confidence that seemed to have deserted him returned with a vengeance now that he was no longer keeping his secret. He just wished he hadn't blurted it out in a damned bar!

"That's enough, boys!" Rumple declared and came over and said, "Archie, let's go somewhere a bit more private." He eyed the snickering men coldly. "And the next one who says something about it is going to be spinning and hanging up there! There is nothing wrong with wanting to be chaste till your wedding night!"

"Umm...yeah there is!" one protested.

"Men are NOT virgins at his age!"

"He's bluffing so we don't find out what really goes on in that house."

"What goes on in MY house is MY business and not yours!"

"Idiots!" Rumple growled. "I warned you . . ." He gestured . . .and three more people were hanging from the ceiling . . and revolving. He dusted off his hands. "Archie, let's go. Before I end up turning someone into a snail and stepping on it."

His temper close to boiling over, Archie had to count to ten to calm himself down before he grabbed Rumple's cane and started practicing some of the fighting skills he learned from Mulan Cho with it.

"All right, I'm coming."

"Hey, Rum, what about them?" Mike called, pointing.

"What about them? It's cheap air conditioning," the sorcerer snorted. "They'll fall down in about an hour . .. unless you get a ladder and pull them down. Up to you."

"I say leave em up there," said Trixie.

Archie got in the car and pressed his hand to his forehead, shaking his head. He should've just kept his damned mouth shut and suffered in silence. He knew it would be impossible to believe yet it was true. Now he would have to tell Marie...before someone else did...

Rumple got into the car and started it. He drove slowly down the street.

"I'm the laughingstock of Storybrooke now," Archie said bitterly.

Rumple parked the car and got out when they reached the park . . .which was empty at this time of the day . . . "Come on, Archie. Let's walk a bit. Nobody's here and even if there were . . ." he waved a hand. " . . .they won't hear anything."

"A bit late for that now, isn't it?"

"No . . .because I happen to think it's nobody's business except ours what we talk about . . .and had I known THAT was what you were going to tell me, I'd have put up a charm earlier."

"It's not something you would expect...not from a man anyway but...you do believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do! Why would you admit that if it weren't so?"

"But I'm sure you're wondering how...?"

Everyone in that damned bar seemed to be. Why should Rumple be any different?

Rumple raised an eyebrow. "How's simple. I already know that. Try why and when. When and why did you first decide you wanted to be chaste for your marriage? Because that's not the norm for men back in our realm. For me it was easy. No girl wanted to sleep with bastard skinny Rumple . . .and the spinsters who raised me taught me to respect women, so the idea of doing that before marriage wasn't something I'd been encouraged to do."

"You know what my life was like before I became a cricket...one con after another with my parents. I said to Marie the night we were at your cabin that my parents led me around by the nose most of the time...they did...left me no time for myself." He sighed. "And none of the women in the places we went wanted anything to do with me...afraid I'd rob them blind while they slept. Then after what happened with Geppetto...I had Blue turn me into a cricket and I couldn't be with a woman at all."

"Of course you couldn't. And then with the curse . . .you weren't exactly the kind of person who slept around with women . . .any more than I was."

"No. But last night...with Marie...I was at a point where I wanted to...and so did she...but then I broke it off because then she'd know...and most likely be disappointed with my lack of experience."

"Oh, I doubt that. I think a woman would be flattered that she was your first . . .same as if it was reversed . . .like it usually is. Just like they love the fact that I'm experiencing all the pregnancy symptom along with Belle. For once . . .a man knows how THEY feel."

"Marie probably thinks I backed off because I thought she was tainted...I don't!"

"Then you need to tell her that. Let her know that it wasn't something she did, so she's not eaten up alive thinking you don't love her. Believe me, I know how that is."

"And my parents only wanted me to learn their schemes not the facts of life. I had to learn that from books! On our wedding night I know what I' m supposed to do and how but it'll be so...awkward..."

Rumple patted him on the shoulder. "Look . . .I've been there with Milah . . .and just between us . . she was no blushing rose when we married . . .she knew more tricks than a damned circus dog! Made me feel like a fumblefooted ass. But Marie wouldn't ever make you feel that way. Now . . . I could tell you things like technique and so forth . .. but you learn what pleases you and your wife as you go along so . . .I won't bother describing stuff you won't remember in the heat of the moment anyhow." He cleared his throat.

"Oh gods!"

"See, making love isn't about how many positions you know how to do . . .or how many times you do it or where . . . it's mostly about emotion. Any lackwit with half a brain can get it in a woman, THAT doesn't take anything special. What makes it special is how you do it . . .with gentleness and respect . . .because this isn't some floozy you picked up for a one night stand, that you'll never see again . . this is your wife . . someone you're gonna wake up to for the rest of your life . . ."

"And she was hurt by Gaston...I still want to kill him!"

"I told Bae once when I was dating Belle after the curse broke that I didn't do one night stands and quickies. I don't. Because for me the act is something more than just . . .gratification of lust. It's a celebration of life, of love . . .so when I make love . . .I take my time . . .because I want to make it last for both of us. Because it's not just about you-it's about her too. And yes, I don't blame you. That's another reason why she'll think it's special, because YOU didn't regard her as used goods . . . and you chose HER for your first time."

"I want to do it right...all of it...the wedding...our wedding night...I've waited twenty-eight years to be with her but the idiots in this town look down on both of us!"

"I'm sure you will . . .and it'll be perfect . . .but even if things go wrong . . .it's not the end of the world. Tomorrow's a new day with no mistakes in it . . .like my Aunt Lotte used to say." Rumple grimaced. "They're fools, Archie. The same now as they were when Belle and I were preparing for our own wedding. All they did was talk about us . . .about how she was marrying the Dark One . .. about how I'd made her an offer she couldn't refuse . . . there was even a rumor going around that I compelled her to be my sex slave! Unbelievable! Because no one could see that I was just Mr. Gold . . . that the Dark One was sleeping . . . and awaiting the day I'd free us both from our dark bondage to each other . . ."

"And you know we've had a rough time of it with Gaston, and Zelena turning me back into a cricket..."

"I know . . .but you're human now and you have to learn . . . like I did . . . to not let the past haunt you . . . or else you'll never be truly happy because it'll always come between you."

"I'd need some strong magic if I want to be perfect for her on our wedding night." He bit his lower lip, worrying. "I'd be too busy thinking...worrying if I'm doing it right..."

"Archie, lovemaking is its own form of magic because it is based on emotion...without that...it's hollow. Don't think about it..._feel it_ and your wedding night will be one you'll want to relive over and over again for the rest of your lives."

"Is it that way with you and Belle?"

"Oh yes. A lot of people . . .men and women . . . think that sex is the be all and end all to a relationship. Well, it isn't. It's a part . . .a wonderful part if done right . . . but a marriage is like weaving a tapestry, you spin the threads and interweave them into a complete picture . . .but you don't just use one color . . .or theme . . or pattern . . . you use all that you are . . .all that you feel . . .all that you know . . .past and present . . .and together you create a thing of beauty. THAT is what a true marriage is . . . loving each other despite all flaws, all obstacles . . .and getting to know your wife . . .not just carnally . . .but how she thinks, how she feels . . .and trying to mesh your ideas and dreams with hers. It's not one person dominating the other, it's two people JOINING to form a whole. And you won't know how the whole thing turns out . . .but then that's the mystery of marriage . . .and of love."

"I still can't believe she wants to be with ME...when I'm not the handsomest man around..."

"I think the same thing with Belle . . .I still can't figure out why she thinks I'm so sexy . . .with or without my leather pants!" Rumple laughed. "But you know something . . .she told me once that the thing she finds MOST sexy about me . . . is that I DON'T act like I'm God's gift to women."

"Marie can't decide whether she likes me better in the clothes I wear now...with contacts or my glasses or how I used to dress during the curse. And she's always said that she enjoys talking to me the most..."

It was what they did before he worked up the courage to ask her on an official date.

"There, you see! And that's coming from a woman in her profession . . . who only sees men because they . . .err . . .want to have a good time . . ."

"She did...now she just drives herself insane trying to keep my office in order..." He laughed.

"You'd better not mess it up, Hopper, after I went through all the trouble of reorganizing it so you could actually FIND things, instead of digging through the rubble . . ."

"Oh you should've heard Marie the day she started...ranted at me for an hour for keeping my appointment schedule on a notepad."

"I can't blame her . . .I almost went insane trying to figure out your filing system . . . until I realized you didn't HAVE one!" Rumple shook his head. "You're lucky I didn't borrow Belle's broom and give you a wallop for keeping your office worse than Bae's room!"

"Well I ummm...could only afford a small office space..."

"Yes, but you let the clutter breed . . . and take over!" Rumple argued. "And unfortunately for you, I'm-as my son continually reminds me-OCD about cleaning things."

"That and driving me insane while clothes shopping!"

"Hey, YOU asked ME for advice on clothes . . . and what did you expect . . .I used to MAKE clothes for a living! I wasn't going to lie to you."

"Well dammit, some of your words were a bit...harsh...like when I brought out that red shirt you said it looked like someone bled all over it!"

"I was being honest! You asked me to!"

"Yes but did you have to be so graphic?"

"But it did! The dye was totally skewed . . .and it was the first thing that came into my head . . ."

"And the purple tie...Barney? Barney, Rumple?"

"Sella made me watch it with her just before you asked me to take you shopping . . .It was better than some of the other things I was thinking!"

He scowled. "Do you know my daughter laughed at me for an hour over you saying I looked like I was wearing Barney's tail?"

"Umm . . .okay . . .maybe I shouldn't have said that . . .now you see where Bae gets his smart mouth from."

"The worst one was about the sweater...something made out of used carpets!?"

The former spinner spread his hands. "Well, whoever or whatever-it was probably a machine- made it couldn't match colors or sew for shit! Would you have preferred I said you looked like a walking ragbag?"

"No!"

"There, you see? I was being nice . . .and saving you from getting pointed at by children in the street and hearing them ask "Mommy, what's HE wearing-the reject from the thrift shop that nobody wanted?" "

"Why do I put up with you?"

"Because I'm your family, dearie," he chuckled.

"We'd better get back...I have a lot of apologizing to do to Marie...and you can tell Belle."

"If you want me to," Rumple said considerately.

"Marie would tell her anyway."

"You're right. So I will . . .since I don't want it to seem like some horrible dark secret. Because I'm the only one allowed to have those," he joked.

"Oh to everyone else in this town it'll be a big joke...male virgin!" Archie said sarcastically.

"Well, at least you didn't have to light a black flame candle so everyone found out that way," Rumple chuckled, referring to a popular Halloween movie he'd seen with Bae late one night back when they were still cursed.

"Or put me in a tasteless comedy movie about it."

Belle was waiting for them outside with Marie when Rumple pulled his car into the driveway. Archie took a deep breath. Marie would either be angry or hurt and she was justified in being both. He'd always insisted on honesty in their relationship and he'd been keeping his own secret from her.

"We'll leave you two alone..." she said softly to Marie and walked into the house with Rumple. Marie looked up at him and he gently brushed the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry…" she croaked.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I….behaved like a tramp last night…"

"No you didn't and I don't want to hear that from you again!" he cried. "You weren't the problem, Marie…it was me."

"Why?"

"Do you…remember in court when I said I wouldn't sleep with a woman unless I was married to her?"

"Yes…and you've said many times you wanted us to wait until we were married and I still want to honor that….even after what happened last night but why were you so terrified? Did I do something wrong?"

"No...I just didn't want to disappoint you."

"Because you haven't had much experience with women? I know that Archie and it doesn't matter to me…last night even though it wasn't what we wanted to do….it felt wonderful to me."

"Marie…you don't understand…I've _never_ been with a woman that way before…"

"_Never_?" she gasped.

"Never. You do believe me, don't you?" he asked hopefully, relieved that it hadn't taken much for her to understand what he was trying to say.

Coming from any other man, she would've had her doubts but his reaction to her attentions in his bedroom the night before now made sense.

"And you want ME to be your first and only me?"

"I love you, Marie. I don't want anyone else. I never have."

"And I don't want anyone else but you," she whispered and kissed him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, stroking her hair gently. "I'm sorry I never told you. I was embarrassed."

"You have nothing, absolutely _nothing _to be embarrassed about or ashamed of! How many men in this world or ours would care enough to want to save themselves for marriage? Not many and if I'd been given a choice I would've waited too and hoped it would've been you…"

"And last night….even after everything I said about waiting….for a while….I wanted to…." He blushed. "But we weren't taking any precautions and….I didn't want to disappoint you…"

"Archie, darling, if last night is any indication, you disappointing me when we finally _do_ make love will _not_ be a problem. My gods, you make me melt just by looking at me with those eyes of yours! Let's not get me started on what just hearing you talk does to me…when we kiss….or when you hold me…." She lay her head on his chest. "The little things, that's what made me love you."

"I'm sorry I acted like an ass this morning. I've just been holding this in for so long that it was driving me insane. I just wish I hadn't blurted it out to every man in this damned town!"

"Oh no! You didn't!"

"I did. I couldn't help myself, Marie. I was trying so hard to get Rumple to understand what I was trying to tell him and he couldn't figure it out. Finally I just blurted it out that I was still a virgin…and they started laughing at me! I wanted to crawl under the damned table! Then one of them made a disgusting comment about how there was no way you hadn't 'popped my cherry yet'."

"If that brother-in-law of mine didn't stand up and defend you I am taking the broom to him!"

"He did, darling…hung a few of them from the ceiling. One of them of course was that Herman boy who's always had it in for him and Belle because of Ashley and probably me too because I told them Belle's fertility issues were being spread around town. After we left the bar we finally got the chance to have the talk we should've had in the first place. It's not that I don't know what to do or how….it's just….I want everything to be perfect…"

She smiled. "I'm not going to ask you what advice he gave you, that's between the two of you but I think it was everything you already know in your heart. I'm experienced yes, but with having sex and there is a difference between having sex and making love. Anybody can have sex…but not everyone can make love."

"That's how I want our wedding night to be."

"It will be," she assured him. "We just have to set a date."

"Sometime after the summer festival. I have to work with Pongo for the agility trials….and I'm doing something different with my chili this year."

She sighed. "So in other words you'll be married to the backyard or the kitchen for a while."

"I'll still have time for you and Gisella, not to worry."

"We should go to tell Rumple and Belle we're all right so _they_ don't worry."

He stood up and reached for her hand. They walked back into the house together and more in love than before.

Though he did spend a great deal of time practicing with Pongo for the trials outside and in his kitchen trying to perfect his new chili recipe, he always made sure he had time to spend with his two favorite girls. He asked Mina again when he could return to the office and she still kept insisting he wasn't ready and neither was Marie. Part of him wasn't ready to go back either. He enjoyed having more time to spend with his family but he also knew his patients needed to see him to, especially his younger ones. He finally decided that he would see Regina, her children and the former Scorpions at the house two days a week and would spend the other three at the office seeing his other patients. The couple was shocked when they walked into the office on their first day back to find it decorated for a party and even some of the patients came to welcome them back, including ones who used to be cold to Marie before. Attitudes had changed a lot in the town due to the trial and it suited them just fine.

Even with all the support they seemed to be getting, Marie still had her doubts that may people would attend their wedding. There were still as many people who opposed Rumple and Belle's union and they could feel their cold eyes on them when they walked into Granny's together and some of the men were still enjoying themselves laughing over the fact that her groom was still a virgin. Though she wanted them to have the wedding of their dreams, she wasn't going to expose her fiancé to such cruelty.

After the pie throwing contest at the summer festival, Marie grabbed her fiancé's arm and led him over to the Ferris wheel. It would be the first moment they had alone all day and as soon as they reached the top she pulled him into her arms for a kiss.

"At least this time we don't have an audience," he joked.

"Archie, I've been thinking….maybe having a Greek wedding isn't such a good idea after all."

"Why not? Marie, we agreed that…"

She pressed her hand to his lips. "Just…hear me out, please. You know there are people in this town who still look down on us and after what you said at the bar…there are some men who would make fun of you…and I don't want our wedding ceremony to be a comedy show!"

"But our family and friends are looking forward to it…"

"Maybe in a few years….we can do it again but for now…."

"You want to elope, don't you?"

She nodded. "It's the only way we can avoid all that garbage. Belle and Rumple can watch Gisella for us…we'll just go to Boston this weekend and do it…get married."

It sounded like a romantic idea….a whole weekend alone and finally, finally they could put an end to the need for having separate rooms and separate beds. After that night in his room, he spent many nights wishing she would come to him again and a few times he thought about going to her only to have his conscience scream at him again that it was best that they wait.

"How are we going to explain it Marie?"

"We could just tell them you're going to a conference and we forgot about it with all the things we had to do for the festival…"

"Don't you think they'll be a bit suspicious when Mina and Jack are still in town? Rumple's not stupid and neither is Belle."

"We'll be out of town before they realize what's going on."

"They'll be furious, Marie. You know that."

"You don't want to marry me, do you?"

"How can you think that!? Of course I want to marry you but….I don't know if this will work…"

"It'll work and everyone will be happy for us once they calm down."

He sighed, doubting that very much. "All right….we'll leave tomorrow morning."

She hugged him. "I love you Archie…..just think tomorrow….I'll be your wife…"

"I love you too darling," he whispered and kissed her.

And that was what he wanted more than anything, to finally be able to call her his wife. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of sneaking off but maybe he would feel better about it in the morning.

Marie woke her daughter early the next morning. "Sella, how would you like to spend this weekend with Uncle Rumple and Aunt Belle?"

"Why? Where you goin' Mommy?"

"Umm...well...Daddy has a conference in Boston."

"Okay."

"All right, let's get you dressed and packed then we'll eat breakfast."

When they came downstairs, Archie was putting pancakes on Gisella's plate and frowning.

"Honey...go in the living room for a minute...okay?" Marie said to her.

"But I wanna eat my pancakes..."

"In a bit. Now...shoo…"

Once their daughter was out of earshot Marie turned to her fiancé. "All right, out with it."

"I just don't think this is a good idea."

"Archie, it's the only way..."

"We don't know that!"

"You and I both know the people in this town...they already look down on us because we live together and I don't want them to use our wedding as another way to put us down even more. At least this way it'll be just the two of us..."

"Your father's going to be upset and so is Belle..."

"They'll understand...darling...I love you...I WANT to marry you!"

"You know I want to marry you Marie but not like this...sneaking off...like we have something to be ashamed of…"

"After everything settles down we can do it over again...the right way."

He sighed. "And you're sure Belle thinks we're going to a conference."

"Yes."

"I still don't like it."

"Fine! We won't do it!"

"No...no...we'll go…but we're both going to have a lot of explaining to do when we get back."

After they finished breakfast, Archie drove over to the Golds' Victorian.

"Uncle Rumple! I'm heeerrrreee!" Gisella called out as soon as she walked through the door.

"Hello, Sella! What brings you here this morning?" he greeted his niece.

"Oh I forgot to tell you, Rumple...Archie and Marie have to go to Boston for the weekend...some kind of conference," Belle said as she joined them.

"We completely forgot about it...preparing for the festival..." Marie said.

"I'm staying with you!" Gisella announced.

Archie found himself unable to meet Rumple's eyes. The other man could spot a con a mile away even from someone who'd been raised to do them.

"Sure you are, sweetie," Rumple said to her, smiling at her.

Bae came into the kitchen. "We got company?"

"I'm gonna stay with you this weekend!" Gisella said excitedly. "Me an Pongo!"

"Hey, imp!" Bae playfully mussed her hair. "You wanna teach Pongo some tricks with me an' Major?"

"Uh-huh."

"Now you be good for Uncle Rumple and Aunt Belle this weekend," Marie said to her daughter.

"Good! We're gonna show 'em how to do some new tricks in this dog book I took outta the library." He showed her a book about advanced tricks for dogs.

Rumple eyed Archie. "You look real thrilled about this conference. Is it one of those boring as hell mandatory things for your certification or something?"

"Umm...yes."

"Been there and done those," the attorney said sympathetically.

"Well...it's just...it feels rushed...and..."

"Archie, we're going to miss our flight," Marie said quickly.

"Marie, we have to pack yet and..."

"That's why we need to get going..."

"Oh...right... "

He hugged Gisella and kissed her cheek. "Love you, Princess. See you when we get back."

"Hopefully you'll find some way to enjoy yourselves this weekend," Belle said with a grin.

"Oh...I think we will," Marie murmured.

They got in the car and drove back to the house. Marie reached across the seat and placed her hand over Archie's. "In a few hours we'll be married…"

_Not like this!_ he thought. _We should be standing in front of the whole town…proud to say we're in love whether they like it or not….not sneaking off like two kids in the family way trying to avoid the father's shotgun…or torches and pitchforks! _

He only hoped Gisella would not keep her mouth shut this time. He purposely raised his voice loud enough for his daughter to hear, hoping she would tell Belle and Rumple and they could get Marie to see reason when he couldn't. At first he thought eloping was a romantic idea but after a sleepless night he realized he couldn't go through with it. Still, he loved Marie and if this was what she wanted, he would do it…and try to make up for it later by having a second wedding…the one they wanted originally.

In her bedroom, Marie opened the box Regina had given her, smiling when she saw a forest green satin and lace nightgown with a set of pajamas in the same color for Archie then looked around her room. After that night they would no longer need separate rooms or separate beds. She packed them in her suitcase and set it on the floor.

She knew he would be nervous that night, they both would be and she couldn't help recalling that night weeks earlier when they'd almost given in to their desires until Archie's anxiety that he would disappoint her got the best of him and he broke it off. At first she thought he backed off because he considered her the whore everyone claimed her to be, never suspecting he pulled away because as odd as it sounded, he was still a virgin.

Her future husband was giving her a special gift on their wedding night and she wished she could've done the same but Gaston robbed her of that opportunity. More than anything, she wanted their wedding night to feel like it was her first time all over again only this time with a man she loved.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her from the doorway. She picked up her suitcase and followed him outside, waiting by the car while he arranged their luggage. "I think that's everything," he said, closing the trunk.

"I have everything else in my purse…our marriage license...IDs..."

Marie climbed into the passenger side of Archie's Chevy and as he was about to get in the driver's side Rumple's Cadillac pulled up.

Oh thank the gods! he thought. And my daughter…

Belle yanked open the door and cried, "Marie Bordreaux, where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Belle, what? I told you we were going to a conference and we're going to miss our flight..."

"Don't you give me that! Sella overheard you say you're going to sneak off and get married? Have your lost your damned mind?!"

"We're not..."

Archie sighed. The game was up. "Marie..."

"Now, dearie, don't try and pull the wool over my eyes," Rumple scolded. "I know when I'm being lied to."

"All right, yes we're going to Boston to get married!" Marie announced.

"For the love of the gods, Marie, why?" Belle snapped.

"Why? Why?! You know what people in this town think of me and I am NOT going to have them laughing at Archie because he wants to be with me."

Archie leaned against the car, shaking his head.

Rumple scowled. "So you think running away is gonna solve things, dearie? I can tell you right now, it won't."

"No but at least we won't have to put up with any shit at our wedding because it would just be the two of us!"

"I told you this was not a good idea, Marie," Archie said sadly.

"And just who is going to give you grief at your wedding with your family around?" Belle said. "Marie, we're all here to support you and Archie. And if certain people don't like it they can either put up or shut up! Or else I'll shut them up with the Bordreaux Broom!"

Marie walked over to her fiancé and threw her arms around him. "I just want to be your wife...more than anything..."

"I know, sweetheart but they're right...this isn't the way to do it."

"We can't have the wedding we want...no one will be there..."

"Then you need to listen to your heart, dearie," Rumple encouraged. "And to stay the course. Believe me; I know it's not easy. Belle and I went through the wars too with people in this town calling me a monster and a demon and Belle my whore and other things."

"The people who care about you will be, Marie," said her sister. "Like your family and those friends who know you and don't listen to gossip."

Archie lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. "And that's all we really need, my goddess..." he said softly.

"If you let people dictate your actions now, Marie, then they've won. And you don't want that." Rumple said. "You and Archie are among the strongest people I know. Don't let these bigoted narrow minded dipshits push you around. "

"Mommy, we gotta have your goddess wedding an' give them all a big FU!"

Her parents gasped. "Gisella!" they cried.

Rumple craned his head around. "Now where did you hear that, young miss?"

"Ummm...ummm...nowhere."

Archie scowled. "Want to try again, Gisella Bordreaux Hopper?"

"Umm...Bae..."

"Bae?!" Belle gasped.

"That boy's getting some Ivory when we get home," Rumple growled.

"And you, young lady, have a date with the Dove!" Marie said to her daughter.

"Awwww!"

"So . . . let's unpack the car since you're not going anywhere," Belle said. "Are you?"

"No Belle, we're not," Archie said.

"Good." she said in relief.

"Archie..."

"We'll figure something out, Marie, but we're not sneaking off."

Gisella laughed. "We're gonna give them a big FU!" she sang.

Rumple facepalmed himself.

"Gisella, keep it up and you'll have that Dove in your mouth for a minute and I mean it!" Archie snapped.

"But, Daddy...!"

"You heard your father...that's enough!" Marie said sternly.

Belle sighed. "All right. Rumple, let's go home. Before I need the bathroom."

"I'm sorry, Belle," Marie said softly. "It's just that..."

"You can call me and talk to me anytime," her sister said softly. "I'm here for you. Rumple's here for you."

Marie hugged her.

"I'm sorry about all this, Rumple...I should have known better but...I want to get married as much as Marie does..."

"I know, but like my wife always says-when you find something worth fighting for . . . you never give up. So don't. Or I'll personally whip your ass, Hopper. With my cane of doom."

"At least you didn't try to burn me like Cora did..."

"That witch! She gives all of us a bad name!" Rumple snapped.

"Well...you repaired the damage but she made sure I always had a reminder...even while cursed."

"I'm sorry I couldn't totally heal it . . .but sometimes even magic can't heal everything."

"It's a battle scar I wear proudly since it helped Regina's case."

"That it did, dearie," Rumple agreed.

"We'll ahh...talk about the wedding soon. Right now my daughter has a date with soap."

"So does my son, only he doesn't know it yet," Belle said.

Archie picked up his daughter and the three of them walked back into their house. He set the little girl down on the sofa while Marie retrieved a bar of Dove from the bathroom.

"I don't wanna taste soap."

Archie shook his head. "You're not getting out of it, Princess. We've told you before about the potty mouth. Now open up."

"Uh-uh!" she insisted.

"Sella, if you keep fighting me on this you'll have it in there longer," her mother warned. "Or…Rose gets to stay in my room under lock and key for a month."

"No!" She opened her mouth and accepted her punishment though the soap tasted terrible. Marie timed her on her watch then took the soap out. "Now rinse up."

"Kay Mommy," the little girl said and ran upstairs to the bathroom.

Now that they were alone Marie faced her fiancé with a frown on her face. "For someone who claims he's not good at running cons, you ran quite the con on me!"

"You wouldn't listen to me! I told you running off wasn't a good idea. We had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of yet we were going to act like we were and I couldn't stand it. I love you, Marie and I want to marry you the way we planned it and I don't give a damn who has a problem with it!" he said firmly. "So yes, I raised my voice on purpose so that Sella would tell Rumple and Belle and took my time getting everything ready hoping they'd try to stop us from leaving. And deny it all you want, you didn't want to elope any more than I did because you knew we'd both look back on it later on and regret it."

She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry Archie. I just don't want it to be a disaster."

He took her into his arms. "It won't be. You heard Belle and Rumple. They'll be there and so will all our friends and that's all we need. The others can just sit and stew in their own jealousy because that's all it is. They're not brave enough to change their lives for the better so that they can find what we have so they look down on us for doing so and it's their loss, not ours." He glanced out into the living room where Gisella was watching TV. "And now I think it's time we told our daughter about our plans for me to be her father legally."

They walked into the living room and Marie turned the TV off.

"Mommy, I was watching that!" she cried.

"You can watch in a bit. We have to talk to you about something."

"M'I in trouble again?" she asked worriedly.

"No, Princess, you're not."

"Sella, I know you already think of Archie as your daddy but he's not yet….legally anyway."

"Cause you're not married?"

"That…and in order for him to become your father he'd have to adopt you…like Regina did with Henry."

The little girl looked up at him with pleading eyes. "You're going to do that, aren't you? You're gonna adopt me?"

He smiled. "There's a process we have to go through first but, yes. After the papers are filed and the wedding, you'll be my daughter."

She jumped off the sofa and threw her arms around him. "Don't care about the legal crap. You're my daddy and you're always gonna be my daddy!"

"And you're always going to be my princess," he murmured.

Marie brushed tears from her eyes as she recalled that day in the Dark Castle when she thought finding love and a father for her daughter was too much to hope for, never knowing that the one she was looking for was right there all that time. All she needed to do was believe.

The Queen of Wonderland was living on borrowed time and now she knew it. The moment the man once known as Jiminy Cricket pledged his heart and soul to the woman of his choosing and kissed her with true love's kiss, binding them together as husband and wife, the Curse of the Broken Hearted would end and its price would be paid….her own life would be taken. For a pledge to surrender it should the curse be broken was the final ingredient needed to complete the spell. She'd underestimated him, underestimated all of them and she'd failed to learn the most important lesson about love, more specifically true love. It took time; it often required a great deal of sacrifice but in the end…

_True love conquers all. _


	11. You're the Inspiration

11

~ You're The Inspiration ~

_You know our love was meant to be_

_The kind of love to last forever _

_And I want you here with me_

_From tonight until the end of time_

_You should know_

_Everywhere I go _

_You__'__re always on my mind, in my heart in my soul_

_Baby, you__'__re the meaning in my life _

_You__'__re the inspiration__…_

Chicago – You're the Inspiration (Archie and Marie's love theme)

All of Archie and Marie's friends and family did indeed band together to make the couple's dream wedding a reality. Mallory Raven and Tiana got to work making the costumes for the wedding party and the guests they knew were attending. The dwarves were put to work transforming Rumple's back lawn into an outside version of Mount Olympus, complete with statues of the gods and goddesses. Moe's shop Game of Thrones was providing all of the flowers.

The young Scorpion Mikey, finally released from the hospital and getting back on his feet thanks to Archie and Geppetto, who was now his foster father, agreed to be the DJ for the event. The former gang members recalled how during the good times he used to play all the music for their parties.

Bae's job, with a lot of help from Andi, in the three weeks prior to the wedding was to help his uncle learn how to dance. Archie confessed to Rumple the day after the aborted elopement that his fear of looking like a complete idiot during their first dance as a married couple was one of the reasons why he agreed to sneak off to Boston. The teenage pair taught him every dance they knew but he balked at learning some of the more modern ones except for the chicken dance that he did at Rumple and Belle's wedding.

"That stuff looks like it belongs in a bedroom!" he protested, blushing. "If _I_ caught Gisella dancing like that with some boy I'd ground her for a month and _he__'__d _be missing a few limbs."

"Yeah but sooner or later, you'll want to dance with Aunt Marie like that," Bae teased.

"I doubt it."

"You have a song picked out?" Andi asked him.

"A song?"

"Every couple has a song….Rumple and Belle's is 'In Her Eyes' by Josh Groban. Is there a song the two of you listen to together that seems to fit you?"

He could think of a dozen that fit Marie. "Well…I think I mentioned before we listen to Chicago a lot…and….our favorite song is 'You're The Inspiration'…"

"That's perfect!" Andi cried.

"I'm surprised you know it considering how you kids make fun of our 'old people' music."

"Yeah I know it…and you're right…it does fit you. So when you and Marie have your first dance together, it should be to that song."

He could already see it now…her in his arms….his ring on her finger…finally his wife…and dancing together to their song.

"I'm afraid I'll be too nervous…and step on her feet…"

"Just relax…in a week or two we'll make you look like you born to do this," the former duchess assured him and put her arms around his shoulders. "Now….your hands go on my waist and off we go…one…two…"

He tried as best he could to keep up with the steps but on occasion he accidently stepped on her toes. "Oh my God I am so sorry about that!"

Andi smiled through the pain. "It's okay. We'll keep practicing until you're a natural on the dance floor."

"Maybe you should sit down…"

"Nah. C'mon Doc. This dance is the most important one of your life."

He felt terrible. The girl had to be in pain yet she insisted they continue practicing even when he stepped on her toes two more times. It looked so easy when other people did it but not him and he cursed himself and his parents for his lack of worldly experience. The curse had given him some of that education but not enough. He thanked his lucky starts his future-in-laws and close circle of family and friends was patient enough to help him learn what he needed to make his wedding day perfect.

Belle would stand with her sister as matron of honor in her Persephone costume but there had been some debate as to whom would be Archie's best man. The groom considered both men to be his best friends and did not want to slight either of them. Finally it was decided that Geppetto, who had been a lifelong friend of Archie's should be the one to stand with him. At first Archie was worried that Rumple WOULD feel slighted.

"Nonsense...after this you'll be my brother-in-law." He would be costumed as Hades which was no surprise to anyone.

Archie already felt like he was and had before he and Marie went on their first official date.

Geppetto was costumed as Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Emma and Jeff Hatter who were a bridesmaid and groomsman would be costumed as Artemis and Orion. Regina and Robin Hood were costumed as Athena and Ares.

Snow and Charming would portray Hestia and Dionysus and Maurice would walk his daughter down the aisle as the king of the gods, Zeus.

"You look beautiful, Marie," Belle said softly while her sister stood in her bedroom gazing at herself in the mirror.

"To think that we were going to miss out on all this..." Marie whispered.

Marie's fears that their wedding would be a small one, attended only by family were quickly put to rest after the invitations had gone out and though it had been on such short notice, so many in the town banded together to make it the perfect day for the couple.

Belle glanced over at the clock beside her bed and slowly rose to her feet. "Come on...this is the day you've been waiting for."

"My whole life..."

Maurice reached for Marie's hand. "I wish your mama was here to see this, poppet."

"So do I, Papa. She would've liked Archie."

"I'm ready too, Mommy!" exclaimed Gisella running to them in her little flower girl's costume.

Marie laughed.

"You remember what you're supposed to do...right...?"

"Uh-huh...I'm gonna throw flowers on you and Daddy when we're done too!"

Outside the groom was getting nervous.

"What's taking so long? Is she backing out? Oh God..." he cried.

"You know better than that!" Geppetto scolded. "Marie loves you...and she'll be here now stop panicking or you're going to pass out and have an angry bride on your hands."

"You need a little courage booster, Hopper?' Jeff said and pulled a whiskey flask from the pouch around his waist.

Emma smacked him. "Jeff! I swear to GOD if you get him drunk there is going to be a Greek tragedy here!"

"I can just give him a little sip..."

"No! Now put that damned thing away!"

"Fine..." he pouted.

"Geppetto…I can't help it…in the back of my mind I keep hearing this voice telling me something's going to go wrong and…"

"Stop listening here…" his friend said, first pointing to Archie's head. "And start listening there…" he finished, pointing to his chest near his heart. "Marie loves you as much as you love her. Even after all you've been through, you're still together and if that's not true love, I don't know what is."

The orchestra began playing the opening notes of the wedding march.

While they waited for Maurice and Marie, Rumple and Belle were escorted to two recliners set up in the front row as both of them were having a difficult day with pregnancy symptoms.

Finally the bride and her father stepped out onto the lawn, Marie dressed in a white satin and lace peplos similar to the one she wore the night they were reunited at the Foxtrot. On her left arm was a new bracelet in the shape of a cricket that Rumple made for her from his own spun gold.

_My Aphrodite__…__._Archie thought as he gazed at her.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?"

"I do...her father, Maurice Bordreaux," Maurice declared proudly.

He kissed her on the cheek and placed her hand in Archie's. "I love you, poppet."

"I love you too, Papa..."

The couple faced each other and as many couples did once they came to this new land, they would speak their own vows. Marie gazed into her groom's eyes as she began to speak.

"Archie...when I first saw you in our land...I made the mistake of thinking you were just an insect...something to smash with the broom. But in the time you were in Rumple's castle I got to see there was more to you but we didn't have enough time to find out if we could be more than that to each other. Then...the night you walked into the Foxtrot...and I saw the man behind the cricket I couldn't remember I felt drawn to you...though I didn't know why...

Before I met you, I thought true love was possible...for everyone else but me. I was a ruined woman…in both lands...but you knew that...and loved me anyway. And every time I gave you a reason to walk away, you came back. You came back because you didn't see me as a ruined woman...you saw me as someone who was given a bad hand in life and survived it and in its darkest moments you were there with me...giving me the strength I needed to pick myself back up after I'd been torn down…

You once told me that I teach the torches to burn bright but it's you that teaches them to burn bright for me…just when I think I'm lost in darkness…you light my way home…I love you Archie Hopper and I am going to spend the rest of my life making myself worthy of the love you've given me…"

Archie took a deep breath. "On our first actual date I told you I had a speech prepared for you…but for the life of me I still don't remember it now because I don't think it would've been what I wanted to say anyway." He gazed into her eyes before he continued. "You never thought true love was possible for you...and I didn't either...for me. I didn't think anyone could love me...first being the son of con artist parents...and then later as a cricket. And then a goddess walked into my life...

Even when the curses came and separated us...my mind may have forgotten you but my heart never did. I decided that night after we met at that damned club...scared as hell as I was...that if I didn't at least take a chance with you...I'd regret it for the rest of my life. And I still say it's you who teaches the torches to burn bright...for me.

When I start second guessing myself your light is all I need to see to restore my confidence that I can be the man I've always wanted to be. And now I am. I love you Marie Bordreaux...I always have...and I always will..."

"May I have the rings please..." the minister said, a bit choked up himself along with the rest of the congregation.

Made from his brother-in-law's spun gold, the band itself was in the shape of a Greek circlet with a diamond in the shape of a cricket holding a rose, the symbols of both the bride and the groom.

His eyes never leaving hers, he gently slid the ring onto her finger. Belle than handed her sister Archie's ring.

"With this ring I thee wed," they spoke in unison, wanting to use the traditional phrase in this land and faced the minister again.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Archie turned to the goddess that was at last his wife, his eyes shining with love. "I love you…with all my heart and soul…" he whispered and drew her to him.

"And I love you with all of mine…"

The moment their mouths met, a white light surrounded them was so bright people held their arms over their eyes to shield them from the glare. The light swept over the wedding guests like a tidal wave, restoring all their memories of those they loved, past and present restoring bonds that had been broken by one woman's madness and strengthening those that had already been reformed. Oblivious to it all, Archie held his wife tighter, deepening their kiss.

"A pure spirit that knows true love can break any curse…." Rumple murmured, squeezing his wife's hand. "It's over, Belle…they're free…we're _all_ free…"

"Thank you, Archie…" Regina wept, feeling Robin reach out and take her hand in his.

The light pulsed through the town, seeking out all those lost and lonely and restoring their hopes that true love would someday be theirs…if they just believed and kept looking.

In Wonderland Cora screamed as she gazed into her crystal ball in time to see her ultimate failure. Then the crystal glowed white and shattered into pieces. All magic came with a price and now the price for casting the Curse of the Broken Hearted would at last be paid. Upon being broken the price to be paid was the life of the caster. The door to her vault blew open and the box containing her heart flew out. It fell on the floor and the lid opened, the enchanted organ rising in the air. White light surrounded the heart and it began to crack. Cora screamed again, clutching her hand to her chest. She fell to the floor dead as the heart shattered.

Will Scarlet, the Knave of Hearts smirked and walked down the hall to a room where his fiancée Anastasia was having tea with one of Cora's ladies in waiting. "The Queen of Hearts is dead!" he declared triumphantly.

The younger woman stood up, a small smile on her lips. "Long live the Red Queen and King," she murmured as she gazed into his eyes. Wonderland was theirs at last. All the members of Cora's court now kneeled before the new queen and her chosen consort.

Back in Storybrooke, the newly married couple reluctantly broke their kiss.

"People of Storybrooke, I give you Doctor and Mrs. Archibald Hopper!" the minster announced.

Belle threw her arms around her sister. "That was beautiful Marie, simply beautiful," she sobbed.

"I know..." Marie was in tears herself and had been from the moment her husband started speaking.

Archie allowed the two women a moment alone. The wedding was over...his greatest challenge was yet to come. He approached his brother-in-law.

"Did I...do all right?" he asked.

Rumple stood up. "You did fabulous, Archie!" He hugged the other man.

"I was kind of worried I'd get so damned nervous and sound like an idiot up there..."

"You didn't. You sounded perfect . . .honest and sincere, like your idol John Wayne," Rumple smirked.

"And I've got my Katie..."

"You do. And your daughter . . .but if you're gonna shoot her boyfriend, let me know, so I can help you hide the body," the pawnbroker joked.

Archie grinned. "Now THAT is one thing I would look forward to. Any boy who wants to date MY daughter is going to find out this cricket is no pushover. You run a gauntlet or I hand you your balls on a plate."

"And I'd be happy to help you," Rumple chuckled.

"Daddy!" Gisella screeched, hugging his knees.

"Easy there Princess...Daddy still needs to walk!" Archie chuckled.

"Yeah, you don't want to cripple him like Uncle Rumple, now do you?" Rumple laughed.

"Nooooo...but I wanna go see you dance with Mommy and smash cake on her face!"

"Oh I intend to…I owe her for that pie in my face. C'mon Princess..." Archie scooped up his daughter and took her over to where Belle and Marie stood.

"Darling, shall we?" Belle asked her husband.

Rumple took her hand. "Of course, Belle. For as long as we can stand, that is."

"My feet are killing me...I don't think I'll be able to dance today..."

His eyes twinkled as he took her in his arms. "You are my serene Mother Goddess, dearie. Come on, let's go and sit down over here." Even though she was vastly pregnant and he had a cane, both were the picture of sheer beauty, and drew glances as they walked across the lawn.

"Wonder if he's going to have the PAINS...like we do?" Snow mused.

"Oh yes...Archie told me he will...they had false labor ones a few weeks ago and they nearly drove him insane.." Regina said with a laugh.

"I think I'd want to see this...and record it," Emma said with a smirk.

"Just a little while longer sweetie," Belle said softly to the baby as she sat down.

But Baby Gold had other plans...

Bae came over to them and asked, "Would you guys like some water, it's hotter than hell out today?"

"Yes, that would be...ooooohhhhh!" Belle cried and clutched her belly. "Oh no! Not now!"

Rumple gasped. "Oh HELL no!"

"Mama, you can't be having the baby now!" Bae cried. "Go back to sleep, kid!"

"Rumple...I...don't think...oh...GOD...this is a false one this time!"

"I . . .don't . . .think . . .so . . . either . . .!"

"Belle, what's wrong...oh my God...!" Marie gasped as she and Archie ran over to them.

"You mean she's...NOW?" Archie asked, eyes wide.

"It's not like I...agggghhh planned it!"

Belle clasped Rumple's hand in hers.

"Okay...we'll drive you to the hospital..." Marie offered.

Rumple stood up. "Breathe, dearie . . ." His face was twisted.

"NO! This is your wedding reception...Dove can take…us...will call…you...when...we're...done!"

"Belle, are you sure..."

"MARIE HOPPER DON'T YOU DARE ARGUE WITH ME NOW!"

"All right...Bae, get that bird over here and tell him to haul ass!" Marie commanded her nephew.

"Okay! Alex!" he yelled at Dove.

"Rumple...don't think I...can stand...hurts too much…"

"You won't have to," Regina said from where she stood and conjured a set of wheelchairs.

"Okay . . ." he gasped too.

"Th...thank you...Regina..."

They helped Belle into a wheelchair.

Rumple got into his own, wincing every time he felt a contraction hit.

Marie hugged her sister. "It's going to be okay, Belle...Rumple's right there with you...whether he wants to be or not…" she added with a smirk.

"Will...call...you in...morning...want details!"

"Rumple...make them give you something...Gods I do NOT want to go through that," Archie said to his brother-in-law.

"Ohhhhhh...Baby...why couldn't you WAIT!" Belle groaned.

"Damn . . .kid . . .takes after . . .its . . .mother . . ." Rumple groaned.

Every man in the crowd winced.

"That has to SUCK!" exclaimed Jeff.

"You don't need to tell me that, Hatter!" the sorcerer snarled.

Dove and Bae put the couple in the car and Rumple's faithful assistant raced them to the hospital.

"Come on, poppet," Moe said softly. "Belle and Rumple will be fine. This is your special day too."

The rest of the wedding party lined up outside the archway and walked through while Mikey introduced them. "And now ladies and gentlemen…your bride and groom: Doctor and Mrs. Archibald Hopper!" Cameras flashed and the guests cheered as the couple stood under the archway and kissed passionately.

"I love you…" Marie whispered.

"You know I love you, my goddess…"

Her hand in his, Archie led his bride over to the wedding party's table. Before they had a chance to sit down people were tapping their wine glasses with their forks, requesting the couple to kiss. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed again.

"Make sure to come up for air!" Jeff hooted. Emma kicked him under the table and some of the other guests laughed and some of the women were sighing dreamily. They'd never imagined the shy doctor could be so passionate. Unfortunately for them he only had eyes for the woman he held in his arms. They were still looking into each other's eyes when they broke their kiss.

When they sat down Geppetto stood up with his glass of wine in his hands and glanced down at the couple. "I've known Archie for a long time…and in that time he's been more than a friend to me…he's been the brother I never had, guiding me throughout my life….as he has with so many others but there's one thing I've always wanted him to do and that was was to find his own happiness. He did the day he met you, Marie. You've had a hard road to travel to but I think now things are only going to get better for you because of the love you have for each other. To Archie and Marie!" he shouted and held up his glass.

"To Archie and Marie!" the crowd called back and clinked their glasses together to drink a toast to the couple. Archie linked his arm through Marie's and they drank from each other's glasses, their eyes meeting over the rims.

The wedding banquet had been prepared by Rumple, Granny and several other women in town. The main course was chicken parmesan with a Caesar salad, Italian green beans with balsamic vinaigrette and roasted red potatoes with rosemary and olive oil, prepared by Rumple because his brother-in-law didn't trust any other cook in town to make it just the way he liked them. The adults were being served Moscato d'Oro, a favorite wine of the couple's as it was the one they drank together on their first official date while the kids were given fruit punch. The women made all of the desserts except for Rumple's Golden Delights. There were three kinds of cheesecake: marble, strawberry and cherry. Belle and Bae made Jello molds in the shape of a bride and groom. Elmira Gulch made blueberry and cherry pies. Granny made several batches of cookies, including raisin filled, chocolate chip and macademia nut as well as the wedding cake with little Aphrodite and Adonis figurines made by Geppetto standing underneath a small temple. Guests were given their last chance to take a picture of the cake before the actual cake cutting ceremony.

The golden ceremonial knife had been made by Rumple with the symbol of a cricket holding a rose. They picked it up and held it over the cake and cut two slices. Archie held out the first one and as Marie was about to take a bite he smashed it in her face.

"I owed you that for the pie…" he said with a grin.

"Oooh you….let's see how you like this, Doctor!" she giggled and grabbed the second one.

"Can't catch me darlin!'" he said in his best John Wayne imitation and took off running.

"Get him Marie!" the women cheered. Gisella jumped out of her chair with Roland and Jason behind her to try to find out where her father was hiding. She finally spotted him behind a tree. He was grinning and pressed his finger to his lips.

"He's back here, Mommy!" she shouted. As Archie was about to take off and find another hiding place Marie cut him off and smashed her piece of cake in his face. He laughed and pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

"That was hilarious Uncle Archie!" Bae laughed when he and Andi approached them. "Kinda like what you did during the pie throwing contest."

"Mommy and Daddy got that from some old movie they watch," Gisella said. "Only in it the guy chases the girl an gives her a spanking but Daddy doesn't do that to her."

"All right ladies and gentlemen it's time for some dancing. Would the bride and groom come to the dance floor please?"

Bae and Andi helped the couple clean themselves up and they walked over to the patio. Archie took Marie into his arms Chicago's You're The Inspiration began to play. They held each other close, gazing deeply into each other's eyes as their bodies swayed to the music. Marie closed her eyes and lay her head on his chest, wondering how a man so wonderful could love her while he wondered how he'd been so lucky to find a goddess to love him.

"I love you…I'll never get tired of saying it…" Archie whispered.

"I'll never get tired of hearing it…" she murmured. "And I love you…" She smiled. "And to think we started out as a broom wielding madwoman and a cricket but if you'd been human then…you probably would have tried to rob me blind."

"The only thing I would have wanted to steal was your heart…"

"And I would've let you have it…"

"After you smacked me a few times with the broom?"

"One look in your eyes and I would've been lost…"

"Had I met you back then I would've told my parents to go to hell and tried to make my own way in the world….I think."

"No, you would have," she insisted. "You're stronger than you think you are Archie. You stood up to a woman who nearly burned you alive; you protected our daughter from that gang boy in the park and how many times have you stood up for me…for us? More times than I can count."

"Why're you cryin, Granpappy?" Gisella asked her grandfather while he watched his daughter dancing with her husband.

"Your mommy and daddy look good out there sweetheart." Moe answered softly.

The couple kissed as the song ended.

"Now would the bride's father please come to the dance floor?"

Moe kissed his granddaughter and walked out to the dance floor. "You looked great out here…" he said and held out his hand for his daughter. Archie stood off to the side to watch them as Heartland's I Loved Her First began to play.

_"__But I loved her first and I held her first_

_And a place in my heart will always be hers_

_From the first breath she breathed_

_When she first smiled at me_

_I knew the love of a father runs deep_

_And I prayed that she'd find you someday_

_But it still hard to give her away_

_I loved her first__…"_

"I should've known the moment you were born you were mine," Moe said softly, caressing her cheek. "And had I not been such a coward and stood up to my father…I would've married your mama anyway."

"She loved you even without a ring on her finger, Papa…till the day she died…and even though you weren't married…you still had plenty of time together…"

"He sighed. "I wish those damned curses never would've come between you and Archie…I knew from the moment you came back from the Dark Castle that something was different. There was a light in your eyes I didn't see for years and then when you met him again here….that light was back."

"I really love him, Papa. He's been so amazing to Sella and me…and I don't even want to think about how empty my life was without him."

"I know you do, poppet. And maybe soon….you'll give me another grandchild to spoil?"

She laughed. "We'll work on it."

"I want to dance with you, Daddy," Gisella said softly as she tugged on Archie's hand.

"Princess, this is where Granpappy is supposed to dance with Mommy," he reminded her.

"So? She can dance with Grandpappy an I wanna dance with my daddy!" she declared stubbornly.

"Gisella, I….oh what the heck! Anything for my princess." Archie laughed and took her hand, leading her out onto the dance floor beside her mother and grandfather.

"Oh Papa…look," Marie sobbed joyfully, tilting her head to where her husband stood dancing with their daughter. Moe chuckled. "It's the little things like that that make me love him all the more…"

And the same adoration was in her daughter's eyes as she looked up at the man she'd wanted to be her father from the day she met him in the park. Then he picked the little girl up and held her to him as the final notes of the song faded away and both fathers kissed their daughters on their foreheads.

"I love you Poppet," Moe murmured to Marie.

"I love you, Papa."

"I love you, Daddy…"

"You know I'll love you forever, Princess…" Archie set Gisella back on her feet and she ran over and hugged her mother.

"All right folks the dance floor is open and we're going to start taking requests, starting with the bride and groom. Anything you want to hear?"

Archie smiled. "The song that's been in my head since we met again….Along Comes a Woman!" He pulled his wife into his arms as the song started and other couples got out of their seats to dance to the upbeat tune, a few of them in the couple's inner circle feeling that it fit their lives as well and the groom was in for the shock of his life when he saw his best friend pulling Granny out onto the dance floor with him, their body language suggesting they were more than friends.

"Looks like we're not the only ones who can keep our affair a secret," Marie chuckled.

"I'm going to whack him with my umbrella!" Archie cried. "Why the hell didn't he tell me he was interested in her?"

"That's something we'll have to ask him."

"Oh, I am. Right after I give him a whack….dammit. Holding out on me and he's known about you the whole time!"

"You know what he said….he's always wanted you to find your own happiness and I suppose he figured he'd share it with you once we finally got settled." She glanced over at Regina and Robin. "And I think you can stop worrying about Regina now…"

"I never stop worrying about her…or any of my friends," he confessed.

"Keep it up, Hopper."

"What?"

"Adding on to the list of reasons why I love you."

"Okay guys…who's ready to dance the Chicken!" Mikey shouted out.

Marie giggled. "Remember how silly we looked doing this at Rumple and Belle's wedding?"

"And we're going to look even worse dressed like this…oh what the hell!"

Unlike the last time, the couple was more relaxed now that they no longer had to keep their relationship a secret. Gisella was laughing at both of them and clucking.

"Now by request here's some Bee Gees and You Should be Dancin!"

Emma scowled. "Okay who the HELL requested the disco?"

"I did! C'mon, dancing queen!" Hatter called out and reached for her, imitating John Travolta's moves in the movie Saturday Night Fever while his girlfriend struggled to keep up.

"Go Hatter!" Archie cheered.

"I didn't know he could do that," Marie whispered to him.

"Neither could I but he's good."

"Look Sella, he's dancin like Gru in 'Spicable Me!" Roland said to her. Jason was clapping.

A crowd gathered around the two police officers, clapping and cheering them on. When the song was over, Hatter picked up his girlfriend and spun her around.

Regina walked up to Mikey and whispered in his ear. He grinned. "And by request of the Mayor for the ladies, here is Donna Summer and some HOT STUFF!"

"Now you're talking Regina!" Marie shouted and grabbed her husband with some of the other couples following suit. "And when I get you alone Archibald Hopper, that's exactly what you're gonna give me…" she purred.

He certainly hoped so…

Getting tired from dancing, Bae sat at the table with Gisella and his friends, checking his phone to see if he'd gotten any messages from his father.

"Did Aunt Belle have the baby yet?"

"Nope."

"I hope Mommy and Daddy have a baby soon."

Next was the bridal dance and Regina filled in for Belle holding the bridal purse while Geppetto held the tray of shots. The couple was going to donate the money they raised to programs supporting victims of rape and domestic violence. During the bridal dance they planned to recreate the ancient bride stealing custom. The ladies formed a tight circle around Marie while the men formed a line in front of Archie. "All right Adonis….let's see how long it takes you to get your Aphrodite!" Mikey shouted.

"Not long!" Archie said determinedly while the men tightened their line around him to keep him where he was.

"You think so, cricket! Keep it tight around him now!" ordered Jeff.

_Sooner or later your opponent will leave an opening. Wait for it__…__then then use it to your advantage__…_he heard Mulan's voice reciting in his head. So he waited…and finally he saw a gap between where Bae stood and David. He ducked under them and strode toward the women. Emma stepped aside and let him pass. Then he swung his bride up into his arms and carried her off to the rose garden….where they could be alone at last. He sat down on the marble bench and kissed her.

"Archie," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck as he kissed her again.

"AHEM!" Bae cleared his throat. "I already went through this with Mama and Papa, not going through it with you two….now get over there and pay attention to your guests….rabbits!"

"Bae, they were just kissing," Gisella said. "They do that all the time."

"Yeah well that's what your wedding night's for."

"Among other things…" Marie whispered.

Archie blushed.

"We'll be along shortly, Bae," he said softly.

"You got two minutes Uncle Archie or I'm coming after ya," the teenager threatened. "C'mon Sella."

"Now where were we?" Archie his wife once they were alone again.

"Right here," she murmured and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him again.

"Would the bride and groom come to the dance floor please?" Mikey called out.

"Oh I cannot wait until we can be alone without interruptions!" Marie groaned.

"We're going to have the bouquet toss first. Would all the single ladies of Storybrooke please form up behind the bride?"

"And you better not chicken out Arista!" Marie shouted out to her friend. The older mermaid reluctantly made her way over to the line, her sister Ariel smirking at her. "You too, Granny!"

"What for?"

"Move it…or do you want me to get the Bordreaux broom?"

Archie chuckled.

The older woman shook her head at the bride and joined the others.

"All right, Marie, on the count of three, throw the bouquet!" Mikey called out and played Geri Halliwell's remake of "It's Raining Men."

She turned her back and tossed the bouquet in the air. She could hear the woman cheering as they struggled to get it and when she spun around she could see Granny holding it and smirked at her husband.

Bae brought a chair over and his aunt sat down.

"Now it's time for our groom to find the garter."

"Whoo hoo! Go get it, Archie!" Jeff hooted.

"If some of you recall the last time we had a wedding, Doctor and Mrs. Hopper were the ones who caught both the bouquet and the garter. This time we have Granny holding the bouquet. Let's see who the lucky guy is who catches the garter and if luck strikes twice and we have our next bride and groom!" Regina announced.

Archie's face was beet red as he kneeled beside his wife. He knew he would be doing more than this later on but he was still nervous. Mikey played The Stripper as he put his hand under her dress.

"A little higher, darling…" she whispered when he paused at her knee.

"That's it Marie, make him work for it!" Arista catcalled.

"You…didn't have it up that high the first time…" he said huskily, touching her in such an intimate manor making his body burn hotter than an oven.

"Because back then we were two fools who thought hiding the fact we were crazy about each other was such a good idea…when it wasn't. Now you've got it baby…" she murmured as she felt him slide the silk and lace scrap down her thigh. The men were cheering when he stood up with it dangling from his fingers.

"Now it's time for all the single men to get in line behind the groom. Any stragglers out there, Doctor?"

"Geppetto!"

"But I'm a bit too old…" his friend protested.

"Now…or do I have to get the umbrella?" the groom threatened. "And we need to talk when I get back from my honeymoon," Archie muttered to him when he passed. "Holding out on me, you sneak!"

"About what?"

_Oh, you think this cricket got up on the wrong side of the tree trunk, don__'__t you old friend? Well, let__'__s see how you like this. _

He took notice of where his friend was standing before he turned his back and let the garter fly. He heard the men scuffling behind him and smirked when he spun around and saw Geppetto holding the garter in his hand.

"You did that on purpose!" he cried.

Archie pressed his hand to his heart. "Now, would I do that?" he asked innocently.

"Yes! You've been taking lessons from that brother-in-law of yours!"

"Well…I guess you won't be holding out on me again, now will you? Now go put the garter on Granny. You know you want to."

"Oh, just like you wanted to put it on Marie at her sister's wedding and was doing a damned poor job of hiding it!" Geppetto retorted with a laugh.

"Mission accomplished," Archie said when he rejoined his wife while they watched his best friend put the garter on Granny, who was teasing him the entire time.

"Having a bit of trouble there, old man?"

"I wouldn't if you'd sit still!"

"Can you even SEE what you're doing?"

"I see better than you do, you bat!"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Marie asked her husband.

"Oh, every minute."

He finally managed to get the garter on and stood back up.

Though they loved being with their family and friends, the couple was eager to be alone. They walked up to where Gisella sat with Bae.

"You be good for Bae, Sella." Marie said and hugged her daughter.

"I will, Mommy," she promised.

"We love you Princess and we'll pick you up in the morning, okay?" Archie kissed her forehead.

"Kay, Daddy!"

"Have a good time you two," Regina said with a smile. "You have that box I gave you…right, Marie?" she whispered to the bride.

"It's in the bedroom…" Marie whispered back.

"He's going to be speechless when he sees you in it…"

"About as speechless as I will be seeing him in his…"

Dove stood at the limousine waiting to take them to the cabin where they would spend the first two days of their honeymoon. "Congratulations Doctor Hopper, Missus Hopper," he said and opened the door for them.

"Thank you, Alex."

They climbed into the backseat and Marie rested her head on her husband's shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Dove played a mix of their favorite Chicago songs for them during the ride to the cabin including You're The Inspiration, making them smile as they recalled their first dance together as husband and wife. They drifted off to sleep for a bit and Dove woke them when they arrived at the cabin and carried their bags in for them.

"Again, congratulations," he said and left.

"Remember the first time we came here?" Archie asked her softly, leading her into the kitchen where there were two glasses sitting out and wine chilling in the bucket along with a fruit and cheese tray.

She smiled. "One of the best nights of my life."

He opened the bottle and poured them each a glass of wine. "To us," he murmured and clinked his glass against hers. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes over their glasses as they sipped. They set their empty glasses down at the same time, neither of them speaking for a moment or two.

"Woud you…ahhh…like to go upstairs?" he asked.

"Yes I would."

He took her hand and they ascended the staircase slowly to one of the guest bedrooms. Dove had their suitcases sitting on the floor beside the bed and Marie had the box Regina had given her on the day of Belle's baby shower sitting on the bed.

"What's in there?" he inquired.

She opened it and handed him the set of pajamas. "This is our wedding gift from Regina. You can change in the bathroom and I'll change in here if that makes you more comfortable."

"It…would….for now…" he murmured.

_After tonight you__'__d better get used to dressing and undressing in front of her. After all__…__she is your wife and you are her husband. _

He took the pajamas from her and went into the bathroom. Marie thanked the gods she wasn't wearing layers like her sister did on her wedding night. She removed her gown and placed it in the garment bag she brought with her so that she could keep it if she wanted to wear it to a costume party at some point and put on the nightgown, her heart pounding in anticipation of seeing her husband in his wedding night attire.

"Archie? Are you all right in there?" she asked worriedly, glancing over at the clock. He'd been in the bathroom for half an hour.

"I'll be out in a minute…" he called out, took a deep breath and counted to ten to calm his nerves, wanting their first night together as husband and wife to be perfect. He wiped his sweating palms on his pajama pants and opened the door to find Marie sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him wearing a forest green satin and lace negligee in the same color he was wearing and was at a loss for words for a moment or two.

"You look….stunning…" he whispered.

She smiled. "So do you."

"We…ahh….don't have to do this tonight if you're…not ready…"

She smiled softly. _My Archie__…__.always so tongue tied or babbles when he__'__s nervous._ She reached out and took his hands in hers. His palms were sweaty. "We don't have to if _you__'__re _not ready baby."

"I feel so stupid," he confessed. "Here I am with the woman I love more than anything in the world and I'm nervous as hell about _making love_ to you!"

She pulled him over to the bed and made him sit down beside her. "You aren't going to disappoint me tonight. I wish you'd stop thinking that. Do you think I enjoyed myself with those other men? I didn't. They didn't love me. They only used me and you know what Gaston did to me. If I had it all to do all over again, I would have wanted it to be you that night but you wouldn't have taken what you wanted from me…I would have given myself to you willingly whether we were married or not because you would have _loved_ me as much as I loved you." She reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Make tonight _feel_ like my first time Archie….as it should've been." she pleaded.

He took her into his arms and kissed her softly, thinking back to that night weeks ago when they were alone in his bed and how close they'd come to taking this very step but they weren't married then and his fears had gotten the best of him.

_Don__'__t think about it__…_**_feel_**_ it._

_Don__'__t just **tell** her how you feel__…_**_show_**_ her. _

She lay back on the bed and pulled him down to her, kissing him deeply while she unbuttoned his pajama top, her fears that he would think she was a whore fading banished as he pushed the skirt of her nightgown up around her waist and caressed her gently, her soft moans of pleasure all the encouragement he needed that he was pleasing her as much as she was pleasing him when she touched him.

Their nervousness returned briefly when they removed the last of their clothing and could see each other as they never dared to before, each fearing the other would prefer someone more physically attractive with less scars from painful times in their lives, fears that were put to rest as fingers lovingly caressed those patches of flawed skin, accepting them as part of the person they loved and the battles they fought to come to this moment in time.

Using all that they were, all that they were feeling, all that they knew of themselves and each other in the past and present, they created their own form of magic that night. It was a magic that would only grow stronger as the years went by for now they were no longer two people but one; body, heart and soul, sharing the same dreams and ideas. Marie felt like it truly was her first time again, the way it should have been, in the arms of the only man who loved her and made love to her so tenderly. It brought tears to her eyes, tears her husband gently kissed away and held her closer to him. Though they couldn't turn back the clock, they could make better memories to replace the painful ones and that night was just the beginning. They had the rest of their lives to work on it.

Marie awoke early the next morning believing it was all a dream until she felt her husband's chest rise and fall beneath her cheek with every breath he took while he slept. _Her husband._ She wanted to kiss him so much but didn't have the heart to wake him. Instead she was content to lie in his arms until he awoke on his own. Knowing him as well as she did, he wouldn't be sleeping much longer, even on their honeymoon.

An hour later Archie opened his eyes, smiling while he watched his wife sleep. _His wife._ It was all he wanted her to be for so long and there were a few times when he feared he would never be able to make his dream come true. Now that they were together, he wouldn't let anything separate them. It was almost a Herculean task to untangle himself from her arms without waking her and get out of bed to shower and start breakfast though part of him wanted to stay in bed with her. They would have plenty of time to make up for it later.

Marie awakened to the feel of Archie's lips on hers and opened her eyes to see him standing in front of the bed smiling down at her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hopper," he said softly.

"Good morning, Mr. Hopper," she murmured. _Mrs. Hopper._ Oh how, she loved the sound of that! She sat up and caught the scent of eggs and bacon in the air. "I see you're already hard at work on breakfast."

"Already done." He held out his hand for her. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way Mr. Hopper."

When they entered the dining room, Archie set a vase of white roses in the center of the table and two long white candles in silver holders.

"Archie...it's beautiful..." she whispered.

He pulled her chair out for her and helped her sit down and then sat in his own across from her.

"You spoil me," Marie giggled.

"Every goddess deserves to be spoiled once in a while…"

He certainly made her feel like one and had from the moment they met only she'd been too blind to see it.

"I still don't understand how you could have loved me all this time when I was so awful to you when we met in the Dark Castle…and then when Gaston…"

"My mind might have forgotten you because of that damned curse Marie but my heart never did like I told you." He reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Now nothing can ever make me forget you and that bastard Gaston is rotting in jail where he belongs."

"I don't know what I did to deserve someone as wonderful as you..." Marie confessed.

"I think that about myself every day."

"You shouldn't. You're a good man Archie Hopper and I don't want you to think any different." she said firmly. "And before you start telling me about that business with Geppetto's parents, he's told you time and again since he's gotten his memories back that he doesn't blame you for what happened...YOUR parents were the ones who made them that way and they could've been changed back but Merri, bitch that she is, just wanted to see you suffer. Let's not think about the past anymore and focus on today...and the rest of our lives..."

He smiled. "I like the sound of that."

Breakfast was delicious as it always was but Marie could barely concentrate on eating it when all she wanted to do was admire the man sitting across from her. They'd been together for over a year, first as friends, then lovers and now husband and wife and in that time she discovered there was more to Archie Hopper than just a shy therapist and former cricket. He was truly one of a kind, a man who made her life magical in his own way.

Their wedding night was everything she dreamed of and more. He was nervous at first, they both were, but once they were in each other's arms in bed and allowed their emotions to guide them, their fears faded away. She still couldn't believe that of all the women in the realms, he chose HER to be his first and only lover. Her, a woman who already had a child and a damaged reputation thanks to Gaston. Oh, she knew some of the other women in the town thought he deserved better, even she did but she loved him so much and there was little joy in her life before he came along again.

He took their plates and silverware over to the sink to wash them. There was a dishwasher in the cabin and in their house but he rarely used them, believing they didn't get the dishes clean enough. She often teased him that he was as bad as Rumple when it came to having OCD about his kitchen.

"Here, let me do some of those…" she offered.

"No, no I've got it. You just relax."

While he was putting the last of the dishes away he heard his phone buzzing with a text message and glanced down to see one from Bae asking him if he would mind taking the new big brother to the hospital to see his sister.

"What is it? The answering service? Jack's on call," Marie said.

"No, it's Bae. He wants us to take him to the hospital and I know you want to see our niece."

"Yes I do and I can imagine Bae and Gisella are bouncing off the walls."

"Oh yes. And we don't want to keep them waiting."

"But later….we're coming back here…and continuing our honeymoon…" she purred.

"I'm looking forward to it," he murmured and kissed her.

They retreated to their bedroom so that Marie could shower and they could get dressed only they felt comfortable enough with each other now that there was no need for them to do so in separate locations.

They drove to Rumple's mansion to pick up their nephew and daughter and were eager to meet their new niece. They were thinking of waiting before they had their own child but Fate had a way of changing minds and making one's dreams come true when it knew the time was right.


	12. All Roads Lead To You

12

~ All Roads Lead To You ~

_All my life _

_The winding road I've followed _

_Has led my straight to your arms…_

Chicago – All Roads Lead To You

They were all nervous when they boarded the plane for Greece a week later and worried about Pongo who would have to be kept in a separate area. This trip was a first for him too.

"Pongo will be fine baby," Marie assured her husband and daughter.

"He's stuck back with a buncha other animals in a cage, Mommy!"

"And he doesn't like cages, Marie," Archie pointed out. "He escaped from one back in our land….belonged to that nasty aunt of Axelle Villette's from what your father told me."

"Cruella De Vil!" Marie gasped. "Did she….really try to skin animals for their pelts?"

"She had someone else do it, but yes and some of the animals she killed were in Pongo's litter. He's always felt guilty about not being able to help his brothers and sisters escape."

"Gives me more of a reason to hate Axelle….and her crazy family. You never did tell me…how did he end up with you?"

"I met him after Regina banished me to the Infinite Forest. Cora put him there because she wouldn't let him be a companion for Regina….or even a familiar."

"Bitch!" Marie hissed.

"Where all are we going Archie?" Mary asked from her seat.

"We're staying in Athens first, that's where most of the sites we want to visit are."

"I can't wait to see some of them…and maybe we can sneak down to one of the beaches for a day," Marie suggested.

They were all excited about their new adventure in a new land that they barely got any sleep on the plane though they were in the air close to fourteen hours without a layover and their bodies would have to adjust to a different time zone.

They were booked into the Hotel Grand Bretagne on Syntagma Square in one of the Grand Deluxe suites and once they arrived, they felt like they were in a mini palace. They were greeted by their butler, a kind man in his early thirties named Alessandro. He opened the double doors to their suite and escorted them inside.

"You don't look like a butler," Gisella told him. "Butlers look old n'wrinkly."

"Princess!" Archie chided. "Apologize!"

"Oh, it's all right, Doctor Hopper," Alessandro said with a laugh.

"M'sorry," Gisella bowed her head shamefully.

In the sitting room there was a cream colored sofa with two matching armchairs, an antique working table with reading lights. There was a bowl of fresh fruit, a silver stand with chocolates and water sitting out for them as a greeting as well.

"Ohhhh gods…." Marie moaned, snatching up one of the chocolates. "I've gone to Heaven!"

"Are you going to save any of those for the rest of us, darling?" Archie teased. She blocked the stand with her body.

"No…mine!" she cried. He chuckled, knowing that standing between his wife and chocolate was asking to be beaten with the Bordreaux broom. "You can have the fruit but the chocolate is mine."

"The paintings are fantastic," remarked Mary who was an art aficionado. "And the antiques!"

"They are provided by Sotheby's and Christie's," Alessandro explained.

"You be careful in here Princess. You too Pongo," Archie cautioned his daughter and the Dalmatian.

"We will Daddy, won't we Pongo?"

"Woof!"

"Your dog's name is Pongo?"

"Yep…cause…"

"We're fans of the Disney movies," Marie said quickly before her daughter started telling the butler Pongo was the real Dalmatian and her father was once Jiminy Cricket.

"My daughter would enjoy that. She loves anything Disney."

"You have a daughter?"

"Her name is Kyria. She's about the same age as your daughter," the butler replied while he carried Archie and Marie's luggage into the master bedroom and started to unpack it. Mary took Gisella to their room and helped her unpack their luggage.

"We…could do that…" the couple protested.

"That's what I'm here for Missus Hopper, so that you don't have to and you can just relax and enjoy yourselves."

"Well, since we're new to this country, we know some of the historical sights we want to visit but we're on our honeymoon too and I was curious about where I could take my wife for the evening," Archie said.

Marie was shocked when the butler didn't seem surprised by that revelation when they had a five year old daughter. She'd forgotten that having a child out of wedlock was considered normal now in this land when it was frowned upon in their own.

"Oh! Congratulations and I'll be happy to make some recommendations for you."

"Daddy, look what I found in my room!" Giselle cried from the doorway. She was holding a box with a chocolate jigsaw puzzle in it. Both of Archie's offices were decorated with puzzles the two of them worked on together.

"Oh! That's wonderful, Sella! Do you always do things like this for guests?" Marie asked, wondering how they knew solving jigsaw puzzles was a hobby her husband daughter enjoyed.

"The puzzle was a special order as was this." Alessandro pointed to the nightstand beside the bed where white chocolate statue of Aphrodite in gold stood with an assortment of truffles In front of it.

As soon as Marie saw the statue she knew who wanted these special gifts in their rooms for their arrival. "Archie…" she whispered, her eyes meeting his. She couldn't wait to thank him properly for her gift once they were alone.

"Daddy, that's so cool!" Gisella exclaimed and hugged her father. Mary's gift was a box of macaroons since he knew she loved them.

Before they arrived, Archie placed orders for gifts to be sent back home, a box of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar along with an Olive Oil Cruet for Rumple, hand and body lotion sets for Belle, Regina, Snow, Emma, Andi, Kat and Becky, tins of Greek coffee for Maurice, Geppetto, Robin, David and Jeff and jars of homemade marmalades for Bae, Bobby, Henry and Ewan knowing they all loved it. He was also having Teddy Doormen sent to Adriana, Roland and Jason. They would buy the rest of their gifts in the hotel gift shop.

"We'll work on it tomorrow night if you want Princess,"

"Yep. Then we can split it since Mommy's hoggin all the other chocolate."

Alessandro chuckled. He finished unpacking the couple's last suitcase and put it in the walk-in closet along with the others. "There are restaurants and bars in the hotel for the times when you want to stay in but here's a list of some of the more popular ones around the city." He handed Archie a list written in English. "If you need anything, just let us know. I won't always be the butler on duty though."

"That's fine."

"Have a wonderful vacation…and honeymoon," he winked at the blushing couple.

As soon as he was out the door, Marie grabbed her husband and kissed him. "This feels like a home away from home…and it's probably costing you a fortune!"

"I didn't have anyone worth spending it on until you came back into my life," he murmured.

"Daddy, let's go see all those old places with the goddesses like you call Mommy!" Gisella cried.

"Tomorrow, Princess. We've had a long flight and we need to get some sleep."

"We should call Belle and and let them know we're here."

"Remember the time difference, Marie," Archie reminded her. "They're seven hours behind us."

"What time is it here?"

He glanced over at the clock. "It's one-thirty in the afternoon here."

"They'll be up."

Rumple was cooking breakfast when the phone rang. He looked up at the clock. It was six-thirty in the morning and he couldn't imagine who would be calling them at that hour until he looked at the display on the phone. It was longer than the traditional numbers used there.

"Belle, dearie! Come in here!" he called into the living room.

"What is it?"

"Archie and Marie must be calling us from Greece."

"Put it on speaker!" she cried excitedly. "They just got there?"

Rumple pressed the button to turn on the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Rumple! We're here," Archie called out.

"What time is it over there?"

"About one-thirty in the afternoon. You're a bit behind us."

"I'd say!"

"Well, Marie…details! From the pictures we saw online the hotel you're staying at is like our castles back home!" Belle exclaimed.

"Oh, it's beautiful Belle, I feel like it's home away from home! I'll send you some of the pictures I'm taking of our room and the ones online do not do it justice. This husband of mine had some gifts waiting for us when we got here."

"Did he? Like what?"

"A white chocolate Aphrodite statue with truffles, macaroons for Mary and a chocolate jigsaw puzzle for Sella."

"We have a chocolate stand too but she won't let us touch it," Archie joked.

"It's mine! Get your own!"

Rumple giggled. "I'd never be able to touch it either if I were in your shoes Archie so don't feel bad. Come between these Bordreaux women and a chocolate and there's no mercy for you."

"Oh, I know. I'll just have to steal one when she's not looking."

"Hi Uncle Rumple, Hi Auntie Belle! Pongo says hi to you too!" they heard Gisella saying in the background and the Dalmatian woofed a greeting that woke Major up and the dogs started barking softly at each other through the lines, Pongo recounting his experiences on a plane to the former police dog.

"Belle, did you know Pongo used to belong to the bitchtress afterbirth of the devil's crazy aunt?" Marie asked Belle.

Belle snorted. "I'm not surprised. Cruella was as crazy in our land as she is on the movies and books they made of her. Thank the gods he's with you now and happy. Did you just tell her that Archie?"

"I did on the plane. Pongo doesn't like being confined."

"I wish we could stay here the entire time we're in Greece but Archie could only get the suite for three weeks," Marie said sadly. "The other place we're staying is just outside of Athens."

"What about Rome? Were you able to get booked into the same hotel for the month?"

"No. We're in the St Regis except for the last two weeks. "

"You'd better rest today Archie," Rumple advised. "You'll all be tired after that long flight."

"We are. Sella's not happy about it but she'll be fast asleep in no time once we get her to bed."

"We'll let you get some sleep then. Just keep us updated."

"We will…and tell Bae and Adriana we said hello."

"Okay honey, time for bed," Marie said to their daughter when they hung up the phone.

"Awww, I don't wanna go to bed!" she whined.

"Princess, if you want to see all those places we talked about tomorrow without being too tired, you have to get some sleep today."

"Okay," she sighed. Mary took her hand and led her to their room. They changed into their nightclothes and got in bed. Archie and Marie came in a few minutes later in their own nightclothes and gave Gisella her doll to hold while she slept and a stuffed bear Adriana had given her that she named Major Tom that she set on the bed beside her. No one understood why she did it, but it wasn't long after that Gisella's nightmares about Gaston suddenly stopped.

"Goodnight Princess," Archie kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetie." Her mother kissed her cheek.

"Good night. We'll see you in the morning," Mary turned over in her bed and fell asleep.

"Night Daddy, 'night Mommy!"

The couple returned to their own room. "At least tonight we'll be sleeping somewhere a bit more comfortable…and I can do this…" Marie whispered and laid her head on his shoulder, wishing they weren't so tired that they could do more than just hold each other but even in the week they'd been married, sometimes that was all they did, not wanting Gisella to interrupt them doing anything else even if they locked the bedroom door. "And I owe you a kiss for my gift…" She raised her head and kissed him. "Promise me we'll have more time alone?" she begged.

"We will," he assured her as he pulled her closer.

She kissed him again and drifted off to sleep.

Her father called them early the next morning while they were at breakfast looking over maps and brochures Alessandro brought them when he came on duty that morning.

"Papa, you'd love it here. It feels like our summers and we haven't even started exploring the city yet. And our room….it's like a palace!"

"Belle showed me some of the pictures. You just enjoy yourselves and don't worry about anything back here. We've got things under control. I'll keep checking in with you and so will Belle and Rumple."

Though they missed their family and friends this was an experience of a lifetime that they didn't want to waste a single minute of. Mary volunteered to stay behind with Pongo while the family spent the day touring the city despite their protests.

"Mary, we can find a pet sitter. You're as much a part of the family now too!" Archie protested.

"No, no. We'll be fine. I can come some other time. Today the three of you can explore the city together. Just bring me back some pictures to look at."

After seeing the beautiful view they had of the historic landmark from their hotel, the Hoppers decided to start their tour at the Acropolis.

"Sella, you hold my hand and not let go for a minute…understand?" Marie instructed their daughter when the taxi pulled up to the entrance.

"Okay, Mommy."

Archie took Marie's other hand in his. Already there were crowds of people walking around, exploring various sites, taking pictures. He had mother and daughter pose in front of The Parthenon for their first picture then Marie took the camera and snapped one of him holding a beaming Gisella.

"Now it's your turn!" Giselle said to her parents and took the camera from her mother. She snapped a picture of Archie standing with his arm encircling Marie's waist while she rested her head on his shoulder. "Is this the place where the goddess you call Mommy sometimes lived, Daddy?" she asked.

"No, it's Athena's temple. I don't they have one of Aphrodite here."

"Even so….these buildings are beautiful….and I can just imagine how beautiful they looked back in ancient times." Marie said softly.

_And you would reign as queen in one of them, _Archie thought as he gazed at his wife.

Later on they went into the museum. Gisella stared at some of the statues in the Archaic Galley, her mouth agape. "Daddy, they're missing their heads!" she cried. "And arms and legs!"

"That's because some of them were found that way, sweetie," Marie explained. "They were made a long time ago."

They spent most of the morning at the Acropolis and the museum and even shot a few videos Marie would send to the family later on that night so the others could feel they were going on the tour with them and returned to the hotel for lunch.

"Where did Alessandro suggest we go next?" Marie asked her husband.

"Ummm…the Monastiraki Flea Market." Archie said, reading from the list the butler had given them. Gisella dropped her fork and screeched.

"Ewww! I don't wanna go to a place where they sell fleas! That's gross."

"Sweetie, they don't sell fleas there. It's sort of like a big outdoor yard sale, only some of items are new and handmade." Marie explained.

"Rumple would love that," Archie mused.

"He'd probably set up his own table," Marie joked.

"You're right! He would."

As they were walking out of the hotel and in the direction of the flea market, Pongo spotted another dog being led by its human and barked a greeting.

"Now don't you be getting any ideas about running off, Pongo!" Archie scolded gently.

"Maybe we oughta find Pongo a Perdy. Whaddya think, Pongo?" Gisella asked him.

"Woof!" he barked enthusiastically.

"I've checked the shelters for fifty miles Pongo and I can't find another Dalmatian anywhere," Archie told him.

He bowed his head and whined.

"Oh, don't worry boy…we'll find one someday."

In the meantime, the Dalmatian was going to do his own searching. His human had a mate, he was ready for one too and some pups of his own.

Alessandro hadn't been teasing in his note to the family that they could buy almost anything in the flea market. They picked up gifts for all their family and friends as well as gifts for each other. One of the gifts Archie bought his wife was a nightgown that he wanted her to wear to bed that night along with a special surprise.

The hotel did offer sitting services but the couple wasn't comfortable leaving their daughter with anyone other than Mary. She volunteered to take Gisella the movies and do some more shopping and sightseeing so her parents could spend some time alone.

Marie smiled dreamily when she opened her side of the closet and pulled out the red dress she bought for a romantic evening. It had a halter neckline with silver trim and a full skirt. With it she would wear a pair of silver heels and before the night was over, she wanted to share a dance or two with her husband. Her wedding was the first time she'd stepped back onto a dance floor after quitting the Foxtrot but unlike those times, she wasn't being yelled at to take something off. No matter how much money people threw at her, she refused to remove one item of clothing though she had done lap dances and felt disgusted every time.

She'd just stepped into her dress and was making some last minute adjustments when she felt her husband's arms around her waist.

"Something's missing," he said softly. "Oh…there it is." He brought a blue velvet box out of his pocket and handed it to her.

While she was relaxing in the bathtub, he called a taxi to take him to the Aphrodite store in Monastiraki to buy the perfect gift for his goddess. She opened the box and found a beautiful heart shaped pendant and ring that resembled strands of gold thread woven together.

"Archie….they're beautiful!" she whispered. He picked up the pendant and fastened it around her neck then placed the ring on her right hand ring finger.

"Not as beautiful as you…"

She spun around in his arms and cupped his face in her hands as she kissed him passionately. "I love you…"

It was taking every ounce of self-control he had not to swing her up into his arms and carry her off to bed. It was taking every ounce of self-control she had not to ask him to when they could make love without worrying whether their daughter would overhear them or walk in on them. In bed was how they planned to end the evening but he wanted it to start with dinner and a bit of dancing.

"Marie….darling…"

"Later…" she whispered. She stepped back and admired him in his navy blue suit and his tie the same shade of red as her dress. "You look wonderful tonight."

"So do you."

He took her hand and escorted her into the living room where the table was set for a romantic dinner for two with a vase of white roses in the center. Alessandro stood beside the serving cart, smiling at the couple.

"Enjoy your evening," he said, making a mental note to tell the rest of the staff the Hopper room was not to be disturbed for the rest of the evening and he was going to ask if he could leave a bit early and spend some time with his own wife.

It was difficult for Archie concentrate on his dinner when his wife sat across the table from him looking stunning as she always did, her fingers lovingly caressing the heart pendant he'd given her, looking forward to later on when she would still be wearing it…and nothing else.

As if she sensed what he was thinking, her lips curved into a seductive smile. "Shall I wear nothing but this to bed, darling?"

"Do you have to ask….?"

"My poor Archie…how I've corrupted you," she teased, referring to a tense conversation he had with the former Blue Fairy two days after the wedding where she attempted to convince him to get an annulment because he was being 'corrupted' by 'that tramp he married' and he threw her out of his office.

"I don't consider it that, Marie. I never have," he said seriously. "What I find fascinating and I didn't hesitate to tell her so, is that she works in the damned club and by all accounts throws herself at any man who notices her yet outside the club she behaves as if she's a pillar of virtue. And you've taught me there _is _a difference between having sex and making love. If not being ashamed of making love with my wife is 'corrupting' me then so be it."

"If you said that, I can just imagine the steam coming out of her ears," Marie giggled.

"She was a bit upset and told me I'd see things her way eventually. It'll never happen."

"This is as new to me as it is to you. I never knew what it was like to have a partner who took my feelings into consideration before and now that I have one…that I have _you_…forgive me if I want to keep you all to myself."

He stood up and held out his hand to her. "Would you like to dance, Mrs. Hopper?"

"I'd love to, Mr. Hopper."

He fished the remote to his phone's docking station out of his pocket and the song "Can't Fight This Feeling" began to play from REO Speedwagon, softly singing the lyrics to her as they danced, their feet gliding across the plush white carpet like they were dancing amongst the clouds themselves and their bodies pressed closed together while they swayed in perfect rhythm with the music. She knew he could sing very well, he tended to do it often when he was cooking or in the shower.

"One of these days, Archibald Hopper, you will serenade me properly," she whispered.

"Oh….and where would you like that to be, my goddess?" he inquired silkily.

"In the moonlight….while I'm standing on my balcony at my papa's castle…"

And one day she would be more than happy to return the favor. She and Belle were both given singing lessons as part of their education but Marie enjoyed dancing more than singing since it allowed her to be more mobile.

_"I can't fight this feeling anymore_

_I've forgotten what I started fighting for_

_And if I have to crawl upon the floor_

_Come crushing through your door_

_Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore…" _he sang passionately spinning her around into a graceful dip, lowering his head so that his lips brushed hers. She threw her arms around his neck, telling him with her kiss and the way her body pressed up against his that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He picked her up gently and carried her down the hall to their bedroom and they fell on the bed, their hands seeking to remove the barriers of fabric that separated them.

"I'm corrupting you again," Marie teased, nibbling on a very sensitive spot on the nape of her husband's neck.

He growled low in his throat and flipped them over. "Now who's doing the corrupting, my goddess?" he asked, taking sweet revenge as he nibbled on a sensitive spot on her shoulder.

"I'd fall from the highest pedestal for you, my Adonis…" she purred. Though she once dressed like a goddess to entice the customers at the club, she never truly felt like one until she found him again though he was shy and uncertain of himself as a lover. In week they'd been married, it was moments like these that reaffirmed his believe that he could be the perfect lover to his wife that he wanted to be. "Corrupt me some more, Archie…" she pleaded.

"Where would you like me to start, my goddess?" he asked softly.

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him deeply.

"Anywhere….everywhere…" she moaned.

They explored each other's bodies leisurely, still learning the places to kiss, to touch each other that would please them the most without restraint as they had in the past. They fanned the flames of their desire even hotter with every touch until it turned into a blazing inferno and at last they surrendered themselves completely to it until the sandman lulled them into a blissful sleep.

They spent most of the next day touring various art galleries around the city.

"Daddy, why are the statues naked…or half naked?" Gisella asked her father while they were visiting the National Archaeological Museum.

"Ummm…well…." Archie glanced over at his wife.

"Sweetie, artists don't think of nudity like society does. They focus more on the beauty of it," Marie answered.

"Mommy…look! It's a statue of the goddess Daddy calls you!"

It was indeed a statute of the Greek goddess herself Aphrodite wearing only a mantle around the lower half of her body, held up by her hand.

"I think I prefer my goddess more…" Archie whispered in Marie's ear, both of them blushing as they remembered how passionately they made love the night before.

"That skirt's 'bout to fall off. She's only usin her hand to hold it up and it's near her privates!" Gisella observed.

"Gisella!" her mother cried. Archie shook his head. He was still getting used to having a very outspoken daughter.

"Ewww…she's grabbing her boob too! You don't do that…and Daddy doesn't go around grabbing your boobs either!"

"Sella! Hush!" Archie admonished trying desperately not to think about how much his wife did enjoy him caressing her….

"And they don't have the guy statues grabbing their weenies!"

Archie facepalmed himself. "Oh gods….Marie!"

"Sella, stop it!" Marie said firmly.

"Well, Daddy doesn't do it!"

"Gisella…" he groaned. They were going to get tossed out their behinds if she kept that up! Though he wanted to see more of the exhibits he dreaded hearing what would come out of his daughter's mouth next.

Archie booked a lesson on cooking Greek cuisine with a local chef, warning his daughter not to make any roadkill comments if she didn't like something. He also had to be careful none of the dishes contained coconut since Gisella was allergic to it. They were booked into a class with a dozen other students where they would prepare a full course Sunday dinner. When Gisella learned that would be making slow roasted goat with scalloped potatoes and Brussel sprouts, she started laughing.

"Oughta roast that green one back home!"

"Sella!" Archie gasped.

The thought was tempting to Marie who was still furious with the former Foxtrot dancer who tried to sabotage her chances at a future with Archie by turning him back into a cricket with a potion she stole from Regina's vault.

"Be grateful Belle isn't here," Marie whispered to her husband. "The stove would explode."

He laughed. "I still wish I could've seen that and thank the gods you aren't a disaster in MY kitchen."

"I had a good teacher," she said softly.

They sometimes cooked together at home but not that often because they were too easily distracted by each other and Gisella told them several times that they would end up burning the house down if they didn't quit making out while they were cooking.

Later they sat down together to enjoy another dinner they made together as a family while another member of the class snapped a picture for them with her camera.

One afternoon, Marie decided that her husband and daughter needed to have a father-daughter day. Gisella's eyes lit up. There was nothing she enjoyed more than spending time with her daddy now that she had one she could be proud of.

"Where do you want to go, Princess?"

"Can we go to the park…you me and Pongo?"

"We certainly can. Marie, what are you and Mary going to do?"

"We're spending the day in the spa. You two have fun."

They decided to visit the National Gardens. As they were walking along one of the paths, a flock of ducks trotted up to them from the pond, backing away in fear at first when they spotted Pongo, thinking he would harm them. The Dalmatian sat down on the ground to demonstrate to the birds that he was not a threat to them.

Archie purchased a loaf of bread at the market and handed some of the crumbs they made to Gisella. She held out her hand to one of the ducks and started feeding it. The others gathered around them eager to have a treat or two of their own.

As Archie watched his daughter feed the ducks he was taken back to the day he first saw her. It was several days before he actually met her.

He had a terrible headache after being screamed at again by Regina because of Henry and his quest to find out the truth about the town and the people in it after Snow gave him the Once Upon a Time book. He cancelled all his appointments that day and went to the park with Pongo to relax. While he was there he spotted Gisella with Julie giving someone's dog a treat and playing fetch with it.

"Woof!" Pongo barked excitedly. He loved playing fetch and hoped the little girl would want to play with him too.

Though she was some distance away, Gisella's musical laughter floated on the breeze and brought a smile to his lips for the first time that day and also made him realize what he was missing in his life….a family. He sat at the bench with Pongo at his side and allowed himself to fantasize that he had a beautiful daughter like her…and a wife who loved him.

Fate was on his side a few days later when he made his daily visit to the park and he was able to meet her in person though he wished the circumstances were different. Her babysitter seemed to be preoccupied and the child looked bored. As soon as Archie unhooked him from his lead to play fetch, he raced over to where the little girl was sitting and started licking her face.

Neither of them was aware that two Black Dogs were approaching. One of them grabbed Gissella's hair.

"Out of the way, brat!"

Pongo snarled at them and bit one in the leg. Gisella stomped on the other's foot to make him release her.

"Fuckin dog! Get away from me!" the boy hissed at the Dalmatian and kicked him. Pongo whimpered for a second or two and went on the attack again.

The gang kid was getting ready kick Pongo when Archie ran over to them and swung his umbrella, hitting the boy in the stomach.

"Touch either one of them again and you'll be missing your eyes or have new holes where you didn't before!" he growled.

"Why don'cha try it…four eyes!" the other jeered.

"Get out of here!" Archie raised the umbrella again, pointing the tip directly in the face of the other boy. Gisella ran up behind him and bit him in his leg. Pongo bit his friend's leg.

"Owww! Owww! Crazy fuckin kids! Crazy fuckin dogs! Crazy old men!"

"I'm not too old to whack your ass to hell and back!" Archie yelled. "Now you get out of here…or do you want to be blinded for the rest of your life?"

"Yeah…an I'll kick ya in the balls next time!" threatened Gisella. The two boys looked at each other and took off running.

"Are you all right, honey?" Archie asked softly.

"Yeah. M'okay. This your doggie?"

"He certainly is. His name's Pongo."

"Oooh like in 101 Dalmatians! Is your name Roger?"

Archie chuckled. "No….it's Archie. Archie Hopper."

She held out her hand. "I'm Gisella Bordreaux."

"It's very nice to meet you Gisella." He shook it gently.

"Can I play with Pongo?" she asked hopefully.

"You sure can."

And that meeting set in motion a series of events that would finally give him the love and the family he waited a lifetime for….

"…Daddy? You okay?"

"What…oh…I'm sorry Princess. I was just remembering how I met you."

"You mean when I saw you on Mommy's shoulder and asked her why when she hated bugs?"

"No, in the park when….what? Gisella, I never saw you when I was a cricket except when Zelena turned me into one."

"Remember when Mommy was sick at Uncle Rumple's castle and she could only talk to me through a globe? You were there one of those days and I talked to you."

A memory, buried by a curse that was now broken, now fought its way back to the surface of Archie's subconscious and he saw himself as a cricket again the Dark Castle, sitting in Marie's hands.

"I'm going to talk to my baby again today!" she said excitedly.

"I'll go downstairs and see what everyone else is up to or I might look at some of the books in Rumple's library. He enchanted them so that if I picked one out to read, it would shrink small enough for me."

"You won't stay?" She sounded disappointed.

"I thought you might want to talk to your daughter alone."

"Oh, I think she'd want to see my new friend now."

"Friend? You think of me as your friend?"

_It's all she can think of you right now. _

"Of course I do! You've been such a comfort to me, Jiminy! I know she'll like you…once she gets over you being an insect."

"I still don't know…"

"Jiminy please do this…for me?" she begged.

_How are you ever going to be a family, Jiminy if you won't even meet your future daughter? _

And that she wanted to include him in this special moment with her daughter meant the world to him.

"All right. Let's talk to her."

She placed him on her shoulder and sat down on the bed. Keeping an image of her precious daughter in her mind, she touched the seeing globe and the child's image appeared before her.

"Hello Mommy…ewwwww! You got an insect on you!" she screeched.

Jiminy laughed, expecting that kind of reception from Marie's daughter who was the very image of her mother and just as feisty.

"Mommy, you gotta go get Auntie Belle's broom an kill it!"

"Sella, sweetie, it's all right. He's a friend."

The child scowled on the other end of the globe. "Insects ain't our friends. You say so!"

"This one is different, sweetie. Say hello to him," Marie coached.

"Why? He can't do nothing but make noise back."

"Hello, Gisella," he said softly.

Her eyes widened. "Mommy! He talks!"

"Yes he does, sweetie. His name is Jiminy Cricket."

"How come you talk, Mister Cricket?" she asked him.

"Because I wasn't always a cricket. I was human once. Like you."

"Can ya change back?"

"Not right now…but someday I will," he said.

"When are you coming home, Mommy? Miss you."

"I miss you too, sweetie but Uncle Rumple says I need to stay until he's sure I'm better."

"Is Mister Cricket keeping you company so you're not bored?"

"Yes and he makes me laugh too."

"Can he come back to stay with us?"

"Umm…he's Princess Snow White's advisor and she needs him there, sweetie."

Her face fell.

"It's all right Gisella. I'll see you…someday. I'll leave you to talk a bit," he whispered in Marie's ear and flew away.

He tried to concentrate on reading a book but he lost interest in it after several pages. All he could think about was how much he wished they could stop the curses, break his enchantment and he could have the family he wanted so much. When he flew back upstairs to Marie's room she wasn't there but the Seeing Globe was still active.

"Hello Mister Cricket! Why'd you leave?" Gisella demanded.

"I ahhh…wanted to let you and Mommy talk alone."

"You seem really nice….and Mommy likes you. She says you make her laugh and you tried to keep that mean ole witch away from her."

"I did."

"If you were a guy again, would you wanna be my daddy?" she asked hopefully. "Uncle Rumple says I'm gonna meet a man in the new land who will love me and mommy and he'll be my daddy but I kinda think you'd be the one I want."

At first he thought he should keep his silence but the little girl was so desperate that he wanted to give her some spark of hope. Unfortunately, once the curse hit she wouldn't remember him and neither would her mother.

"Gisella….he was talking about me but your mommy…she doesn't believe it."

"He was? You're going to be my daddy?" Her eyes lit up.

"If the Fates are kind, little princess, then yes I will be your daddy."

"M'not a princess."

"You are to me, little one…and your mommy…."

_She's my goddess…_

"Do you love my mommy like Uncle Rumple said, Mister Cricket?"

"We don't know each other very well Gisella but….I feel like I do," he confessed.

"You think you could love me too…an not treat me like I don't exist like my bad daddy does?"

"I know I could. I want a family very much Gisella but only if it's with you and your mommy."

"Then I'll see ya in our new land…Daddy," the child said with a smile.

"…Daddy! You zoned out again!"

His daughter shaking his shoulder brought him back to the present.

"I'm sorry Princess. I just didn't remember that day until now."

She smiled. "You called me that then too."

"You'll always be my princess."

"Even if you and Mommy have another baby?"

He was expecting this topic to come up sooner or later. He led her over to a bench and they sat down. "Even when we have another baby. Sella, a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that the biological child of a parent is loved more than an adopted one but that's not true for me. Had the fates decided differently, you would have been my biological child but in my heart I _feel_ like you are mine and that's what matters."

She hugged him. "I love you, Daddy."

"Now, when we give you another brother or sister, very soon I'm hoping, you have a very important job...being a big sister and looking out for your little sister…or brother."

"I can do it, Daddy."

"I know you can."

They found a shady spot under some trees to have their picnic. Archie filled Pongo's dish with his dog food and water while Gisella unpacked everything for their lunch.

"Hope this isn't roadkill," she grimaced.

"Sella, please don't throw it out on the road," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry Daddy but I only like stuff you, Mommy and Uncle Rumple cook the best."

"I think we've spoiled your palate," he mumbled.

She also handed him a jigsaw puzzle she packed in her bag. "Can we work on this one, Daddy?"

He smiled. It was a puzzle depicting the Parthenon that they bought in one of the gift shops. When they got home he was going to have several of the photos from their trip made into jigsaw puzzles for them to put together and hang on his wall in his offices.

They worked on the puzzle together during their picnic and he took Gisella to the childrens' park to play for a few hours before they went back to the hotel. While they were there, Alessandro, the hotel's butler stopped by with his wife Sophie and his daughter Kyria. The two little girls hit it off right away and raced around the park going down the slide, swinging on the swings and playing fetch with Pongo and their own dog Rudy.

"Where's Missus Hopper?" Alessandro asked.

"Oh, she's pampering herself at the spa with our housekeeper. She wanted today to be father-daughter day for me and Sella."

"She's a lovely little girl…looks a bit like you." Sophia said. "I hope to meet your wife one of these days."

"I'll tell you what….our last night here, why don't we all have dinner together?" Archie suggested. "You'll be off that night, won't you Alessandro?"

"I start my vacation the day before so yes, I will be, Doctor Hopper."

He chuckled. "You can call me Archie. You're not at work."

"Hey Sella, why are you wearin a cricket on your arm?" Kyria asked her, pointing at her bracelet.

"Ummm….ummmm…because that's what people call my daddy…Jiminy Cricket. He gives people advice n'stuff. Hey Kyria, you watch Disney stuff?"

"I love it. What's your favorite movie?"

"Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and The Beast and I really like Jiminy Cricket and 101 Dalmatians. My mommy and daddy kinda remind me of Roger n'Anita."

"You know what would be really cool…if all those guys were real."

"Yeah and what if it wasn't like the movies?" Gisella asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…maybe Jiminy Cricket wasn't a real cricket but a real guy who was turned into a cricket and went around helping people but he was really lonely because he wanted a family. And he met a girl who had a little girl of her own but the little girl's real daddy didn't love her or her mommy so the little girl wanted to replace him with Jiminy but he had to change back into a guy first."

"How would he do that?"

"The mean ole Queen of Hearts and the stepmom from Snow White…who's her daughter, cast a curse to send him here but he didn't remember the little girl or her mommy. And the bad daddy, that's Gaston from Beauty and The Beast….kept coming around and hurting her mommy and Jiminy wanted to protect them so he let them live with him till he married her mommy."

"That's a cool story, kinda sad in parts too. You have a Gaston but where's Belle and the Beast?"

"Suppose Belle is the little girl's aunt and the Beast isn't a prince….he's a wizard named Rumplestilskin."

"Huh?! You make Belle fall in love with that scary guy from the stories?"

"But he's really not scary! He's a guy…like Jiminy and he has his own kid….named Baelfire and a little girl named Adriana and Belle really loves him." Gisella insisted, forgetting for a moment she was trying to make it all sound like a story.

"So what's Jiminy's name here…and the girl and her mommy?"

"Ummm….I can't tell."

"Why? It's your story, isn't it? You can call them what you want."

"Because my daddy really _is _Jiminy Cricket!" she blurted and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"No way!" Kyria exclaimed.

"Yeah way! We usta live in this forest but like I said, the mean Queen of Hearts put a curse on us and sent us all here and me and my mommy had to put up with the bad daddy till Daddy could remember us! And my aunt is Belle from Beauty and The Beast and my uncle is Rumplestiltskin! And…I got the _real_ Pongo! You're gonna say I'm nuts but I'm not. We're all real but it's not like the movies!" She started to cry and the next thing the other child saw was the cricket on her bracelet glowing.

"Whoa!" Kyria cried. "Sella…look…your bracelet's green!"

"Archie….your ring….it's glowing!" Sophia exclaimed from the bench where the adults were sitting.

Archie glanced down at his wedding ring; the stone was now a bright green color, reminding him that one of Rumple's protections had been activated. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gisella's bracelet and Pongo's collar charm were also glowing and his daughter was in tears. He jumped off the bench and ran over to her.

"Princess, what happened?" he asked worriedly as he picked her up.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she sobbed. "I told! I know m'not supposed to but I couldn't help it!"

"W….What's going on…what are you? Some kind of aliens?" Alessandro demanded. "Why is your ring glowing like that?"

"No, we are NOT aliens!" Archie said angrily, thankful they were the only ones in that location or the situation would get worse quickly.

"Daddy, he's really Jiminy Cricket," Kyria announced.

"What? Kyria, that's a character in a Disney movie."

"Yeah but Gisella said that's who her daddy really is."

"Daddy, they're gonna lock us up!" Gisella wailed.

"No, they're not, Princess. Shhh...it's all right…it's going to be all right."

"I'm sorry Daddy. I didn't mean to tell."

"What did you tell her, Sella?"

"That you're really Jiminy Cricket…and about Aunt Belle and Uncle Rumple…" she sobbed.

"Wait a minute….are you saying you're the _real _Disney characters?" Sophia gasped.

"Her daddy is," Kyria affirmed. "And some of the other ones in the books are real too."

"You believe me?" Gisella asked the other girl through her tears.

"Yeah."

They were given another shock when a dazed Marie teleported there from their room where she was reading a book, her own wedding ring glowing. Gisella's bracelet and Archie's ring had summoned her.

"Archie, what happened?" she cried. "Oh my God!" Her eyes widened with horror when she saw Alessandro and his family standing there watching them, their mouths agape.

"Mommy…I told them who we are…and Kyria believes me but her mommy and daddy think we're aliens and we're gonna get locked up!"

"No, we're not!" Archie said firmly and put his arm around his wife, drawing her into his protective embrace along with their daughter.

"What are we going to do? They've seen it! We have to go home, Archie! We have to go home right now before we get separated again and I'd rather _die_ than be parted from you and my baby again!" Marie said fearfully.

"And I am NOT going to lose either of you!" Archie declared, holding them tighter.

The rings and bracelet glowed brighter, triggered by the family's fears of being parted and a green light surrounded the other family, freezing them for a few seconds then vanished and the glow emitting from their rings and bracelet stopped.

"Doctor Hopper! Missus Hopper! Are you all right?" Alessandro asked.

"Alex, is this the nice American couple from the hotel you were telling me about?" inquired Sophia.

The Hoppers glanced at each other, stunned. The other family's memory of the true identities had been erased and they were acting like nothing happened!

"Yes, yes it is."

"Oh…Alessandro…my daughter had a fall earlier and scared us half to death…but she's all right now," Archie lied.

It was a close call…too close, but they thanked the gods the protections Rumple wove into their jewelry had prevented a disaster that could've separated them again.

They were all melancholy on their last day at the Grand Bretagne but they were looking forward to having dinner with Alessandro and his family. Archie repeated his offer for all of them to have dinner together their last night in the hotel at the park after his first one had been erased from their minds.

"Maybe you can come back next year," Sophia said.

"We're…ahhh….planning on expanding our family a bit first," Marie said shyly. She was still hoping she was already pregnant but it was still too soon to tell. She hadn't experienced any of the symptoms with Gisella until she was already two months along.

"You can still come back when your next child is older," Alessandro pointed out.

"Yes we can. We've been having a wonderful time here," Archie admitted.

The second hotel they were booked into in the seaside town of Vouliagmeni was not as luxurious as the Grand Hotel Bretagne but the staff was still very friendly to them and eager to recommend some places to eat and see in the area. Gisella couldn't wait to go to the beach; she hadn't been to one since they lived in the Enchanted Forest and what excited her even more was the news that Alessandro would be there with his family for their own vacation. The two families would meet up at the Hoppers' hotel and go to the beach together.

The moment his wife emerged from the bathroom in her beach attire, Archie knew he was going to have to beat the men off his goddess with his umbrella, her red bikini leaving little to the imagination.

Marie would have worn a regular bathing suit but she wanted to try to get a tan before she returned to Storybrooke. She tanned easily when she was a young girl in Avonlea but now that she was older and the climate was different, she had to be careful or she got a sunburn.

"You look beautiful, darling but the men better keep away from you or they'll see the error of their ways…quickly," grumbled her husband, holding up his umbrella.

"Baby….you know I only have eyes for you…" she murmured. "You're so cute when you're jealous."

"You didn't say that before we started dating," he pointed out.

"Because I was a stubborn fool who didn't want to admit I was as helplessly in love with you as you were with me."

As they were about to kiss their excited daughter burst into their bedroom. "C'mon! Sandro, Sophia and Kyria are waiting! You can make out later after I go to bed!"

"Gisella!"

They would not be taking Pongo with them though they wanted to but they doubted the public beach allowed pets. He was quite content to stay near the hotel. He'd made friends with a few local dogs but unfortunately they didn't know any female Dalmatians in the area. He would have to keep looking.

Alessandro picked them up in a rented van outside their hotel and drove them out to the beach. He informed the family there was a private beach nearby they could go to but Marie wasn't comfortable.

"Private means one thing: snobs," she mumbled. "And I've had my fill of them."

"Not everyone is like that here, Marie," Sophia pointed out.

"Oh, I know but I just prefer to be around ordinary people."

"And here we are…welcome to Vouliagmeni Alessandro announced. The family stood still for a few minutes, taking in the beauty of the area with its turquoise blue waters and white sandy beaches.

"Archie! It's beautiful!"

"I wanna go in the water, Daddy!" cried Gisella.

Alessandro and Sophia took pictures and videos as the Hoppers frolicked in the water, wishing their American friends would change their minds and make their country their permanent home. Gisella was a wonderful companion for Kyria and the two couples were becoming the best of friends.

Marie swam up behind her husband and dunked him. "Come and get me, my Adonis!" she taunted.

"With pleasure, my goddess!" he growled and disappeared under the water. She looked around but didn't see him.

"Gisella, where's Daddy…ohhh!" Marie gasped when she felt her legs being pulled out from under her and dragged under the water. "You sneak!" she cried and splashed her husband when she resurfaced. He pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

"My turn, Daddy!"

"Better watch out, Princess," her father said with a smirk. "Coming to get you…" He disappeared under the water again.

"Mommy…hide me! Yeek! He got me!" she cried when her father surfaced behind her and dunked her.

"Let's get Daddy now," Marie whispered to her daughter.

"Oh no you don't!" he cried and tried swimming away. Marie grabbed his legs and they pulled him under the water. Sophia snapped a picture of the three of them in the water hugging each other and laughing.

Sophia brought out a large blanket and spread it out for her and Marie to lie on while they tanned themselves. Kyria and Gisella started building a sandcastle and Alessandro and Archie sat on chairs under umbrellas to read their books.

"You could come here during the summer," Sophia suggested to Marie.

"I'd love to come back…I've been having a wonderful time but Archie's practice just expanded and we'd just gotten back from a leave of absence before we got married."

"Were you ill?"

"Yes…." Marie sighed. "I was having…some trouble with Gisella's biological father. He was stalking me…stalking us….and one night he broke into my home and almost killed me and he threated to kill Archie and our daughter."

"Oh my God!"

"I just started dating Archie when this happened but we'd been friends for almost a year and I was in love with him…just too afraid to admit it after all the bad relationships I had before. My poor husband, he's been in love with me for a long time, he was just waiting for me to come around. After Gaston attacked me….Archie had us move in with him…and it raised eyebrows."

"Because you weren't married? People live together all the time now. Are you saying you live in one of those towns that's behind the times?"

"Something like that."

"Well it shouldn't matter what everyone else thinks. You love each other and that's what matters."

"You sound like my sister."

"She's right, you know."

"Yes, she is. I realize that now."

The two fathers watched their daughters building sandcastles with proud smiles on their lips.

"I was getting worried Sella would be bored having just adults and Pongo for company," Archie confessed.

"Most of Kyria's friends go away for the summer which was why I'm glad she's gotten to spend time with your daughter. It won't be easy when you leave. She hates goodbyes."

"We'll keep in touch on the computer and we'll come back here for a vacation again…I'm just not sure when."

"Daddy! We finished our sandcastle. C'mere. Wanna get a picture with you!" Gisella cried.

Marie grabbed her phone and snapped a picture of the fathers and their daughters standing behind the sandcastle then the girls wanted a picture with their mothers.

"Marie, you'd better come out of the sun…you're turning red," Archie said to his wife after the two families posed for a final picture together that was taken by another beachgoer. To Marie's dismay, her husband was correct, she and Gisella both had terrible sunburns and had to spend the rest of the afternoon under the umbrella.

When it came time for Alessandro and his family to leave, Gisella and Kyria were both in tears, hating to say goodbye.

"Our mommies and daddies can talk through the computer," Kyria said. "And Mommy's gonna teach me so I can talk to you."

"So's my mommy."

Alessandro shook Archie's hand. "Enjoy the rest of your vacation and we hope to see you soon."

Sophia hugged Marie. "Send us lovely pictures from Rome and where you live…and keep in touch."

"We will."

The Hoppers decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. Archie wanted to go back to the hotel right away to take care of his wife and daughter's sunburns but Gisella and Marie wanted to eat first. They stopped at the first restaurant they saw.

He ordered himself a steak, stipulating that he wanted it well done. The restaurant was not very busy and when the server returned with his order, he was bit skeptical because he took much longer to cook a steak. The server set his plate down.

"Daddy, that's got blood on it!" Gisella cried, pointing at the piece of rare steak. Marie looked like she was going to vomit.

"Sir, I asked for this to be well done. Could you take it back please?" he asked politely in Greek and English.

"Of course. I'm sorry about that," the server said and took the plate back to the kitchen.

The server set the plate down in front of Archie a while later and walked away. It looked well done on the outside. He picked up his knife and fork and cut into his steak…and crimson fluid seeped out.

"Ewwww!" Gisella screeched. "Daddy….you got roadkill…AGAIN!"

He threw his silverware down. "Marie, did I not tell them well done?" he asked angrily. "And not only that I said it in both Greek and English! I am not eating this!" he shoved the plate away.

"Yeah well, I know what I wanna do with it!" Gisella cried snatching the steak off her father's plate before either of her parents could stop her and ran to the end of the patio, tossing the meat onto the road. "Get your roadkill!" she shouted in Greek. Several passers-by started laughing and a few of them took pictures with their phones.

"What seems to be the problem here?" the manager, an American, asked when he approached their table.

"Apparently a communication one!" said Archie. "I said I wanted my steak well done and twice…TWICE I get it back with blood on it. How the hell hard is it to cook an order as requested around here?"

"Well, where is it?"

"I threw it out on the road where it belongs 'cause its ROADKILL!" yelled Gisella. Marie was wiping tears from her eyes as she laughed.

"You…you….what?" the manager sputtered.

"If you think I'M a harsh food critic, my daughter is worse and for once I agree with her. I am NOT eating roadkill."

"Well there was no need to throw it out on the road…and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Are you serious? You should be giving us a damned refund not throwing us out, you idiot!" yelled Marie. "Where is YOUR manager? I think I'd like to have a word with them."

"I am the manager."

"Well you obviously don't know how to do your job properly." Marie stood up. "We won't be eating here again, that's for certain."

"Yeah this place sucks," added Gisella.

"And you can keep what's on the check…and use it to send your damned chef to culinary school!" grumbled Archie. "Come on….we'll have dinner at the hotel!"

Fortunately there was not a repeat of the steak incident at the hotel and after dinner, he and Mary took the girls to their rooms to treat their sunburns with aloe gel.

"A woman could get ideas from this, Doctor Hopper…." Marie murmured as he gently rubbed the gel into her back and legs.

"Why didn't you put lotion on in the first place, Marie?" he asked her.

"Because, baby, I would have wanted you to put it on me and the beachgoers would have gotten a scene that would have landed both of us in jail."

"Marie!" His face flushed with embarrassment. His wife's boldness was something he was still getting used to…and his own when she inspired it.

"You still don't know do you, what it does to me when you touch me or even when you look at me?"

"I'm still learning," he said with a smile.

She got up, hissing with pain. Almost every part of her body was sore. She didn't think she'd been out in the sun that long and kept forgetting she was in another part of the world and the sun's rays burned hotter there.

"We'd better stay indoors for a few days until you're better," Archie said, helping her into her nightgown. It was the only piece of clothing she could wear that didn't irritate her skin.

"But….there's still some of the village we need to see and…"

"Marie, if you want to go outside, you're wearing a hat and most of your body needs to be covered. You'll get sun poisoning if you don't."

She chuckled. "You sound like me when Gisella gets sunburned."

"Well, you need to listen to the doctor, my goddess."

She giggled and kissed him. "He takes such good care of me…"

Sleeping that night was even more difficult. She was in pain every time she moved and so was Gisella. Both of them slept in till late in the afternoon while Archie got up early to take Pongo for a walk and browse the gift shops to pick up more items for his family and friends.

He was on his way back to the hotel when his ring started glowing again and so did the charm on Pongo's collar. The dog looked up at his master and whined.

"Come on boy! Hurry!" Archie cried and they raced back to the hotel. When they arrived they saw Gisella being taken out to an ambulance with Marie being comforted by Mary.

The sight brought Archie to his knees, taking him back to the night Marie had been assaulted by Gaston and left for dead.

"No..." he sobbed while he struggled to breathe. "Not my Princess…"

One of the hotel staff members saw him and rushed to his aid. "Are you all right, sir?"

"My…daughter….what's happened to my daughter…?"

"She's had some kind of allergic reaction….we're not sure what to. Come on…I'll take you to your wife." The man helped him to his feet and walked him over to Marie. She threw her arms around him.

"Marie….what happened?"

"I know I ordered our lunch right….but…somehow Sella got a piece of coconut crème pie and you know she can't have it!" Marie sobbed. "They're…they're having someone from the staff take us to the hospital."

They were both on edge while they waited to hear news of their daughter and fell asleep after an hour. The nurse came into the waiting room and tapped Archie's shoulder gently.

"Doctor Hopper, Missus Hopper," she said softly.

The couple opened their eyes.

"Sella! Is she all right?" Marie cried.

"She's doing fine. I'll take you to see her."

"M'sorry I scared you," she said.

"Don't you worry about that, Princess," Archie said and hugged her. "What happened, Sella? You know you can't eat anything with coconuts in it."

"Yeah, I know. Mommy ordered me a cherry pie and I thought that's what it was so I started eating it and felt like I couldn't breathe and my face was breaking out so Mommy gave me a shot from that pen thing she carries but she was scared it wasn't working so Mary got someone from the hotel to call the ambulance."

"I don't understand it Archie. I know I ordered her a cherry pie."

"We're going to find out, Marie. We made it clear when we checked in she was not be given anything with coconuts in it. Thank the gods we got those pen injectors filled before we left!"

The doctor however was confused. This was the most bizarre case of anaphylactic shock he'd ever seen. The child was recovering at an accelerated rate and he couldn't for the life of him understand how. Every other patient brought in with the condition took a day or two to recover but he was also a religious man and believed God was watching over the little girl and her parents.

The couple smiled at each other thinking that God had a little help from a sorcerer named Rumplestiltskin.

Marie and Archie were exhausted and need of the bathroom when they returned to the hotel. The couple kissed their daughter goodnight then returned to their own suite. Marie used the bathroom first while he changed for bed.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Marie asked him when he came out of the bathroom and crawled into bed beside her.

"Why don't we just stay in?" he suggested.

"I doubt Sella will be happy with that."

"We'll find some way to keep her amused. Maybe we'll work on one of those puzzles we bought her at the market."

Gisella was still a bit exhausted from her ordeal and more than happy to stay in. While she and Mary watched a movie, her parents went down to the first floor to talk to the manager, both of them outraged when they were given the hotel kitchen staff's version of events.

"I did NOT read the menu wrong!" shouted Marie. "As my husband and I have demonstrated numerous times, we are both fluent in Greek and I requested a cherry pie for my daughter's dessert, not coconut! She's allergic to it!"

"I've spoken to the person who took the order and she verified your version of events, Missus Hopper and I'm going to be following up with the kitchen staff."

"In the meantime….I think it would be best if we checked in somewhere that has a kitchen. I'd rather prepare my daughter's meals myself rather than risk this again." Archie said.

The manager feared he would be facing a hefty lawsuit from the American doctor and came down hard on his kitchen staff, reminding them to be more careful when preparing food for the guests. Archie assured him he was more concerned about his daughter's safety than financial compensation. The other man was upset to lose a guest but he was happy to help Archie locate a place to stay in the area that had its own kitchen and even called ahead to let the other hotel's manager know he was referring them.

The second hotel was able to accommodate them until they had to catch their flight for Rome and no one wanted to go out to eat now that Archie could prepare their food himself. He made several of the Greek dishes they'd eaten in various restaurants during their stay, Gisella never once wanting to throw them out on the road.

"You and Uncle Rumple still cook the best, Daddy," she bragged.

"I pity the chefs in Rome. They aren't going to be prepared for you two," Marie giggled.

They were booked into the Couture Suite at the St. Regis and like the Grand Bretagne they had their own butler, a middle aged man named Vittorio.

"We're still not used to this," Marie explained while he was unpacking their suitcases and putting their clothes in the closets. "And Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton actually stayed here?"

"They did indeed, Signora Hopper," Vittorio said with a smile. "And Marie Callas."

"I've heard her sing before. She has a lovely voice," Archie commented.

"Archie, let's go to the opera!" Marie cried excitedly. "I've always wanted to."

He smiled and brought two tickets out of his wallet. She snatched them out of his hands and read them then threw her arms around him. "I can't wait…but I don't have anything that formal to wear! And you know I love Tourandot!"

"Oh yes you do, my goddess," he said with a smile and led her into their suite where there were two garment bags hanging in the closet she'd never seen before. She unzipped one of them and discovered a red satin evening gown with roses on the bodice with gold thread with a princess skirt and matching wrap and in the other was a tuxedo for her husband with a matching red tie and vest. "Rumple made the dress for me when I told him I was taking you to the opera."

"You….spoil…me…rotten!" she cried as she kissed him.

"Daddy, what are me, Mary and Pongo gonna do while you and Mommy are at the opera?" asked Gisella.

"I'm going to take you to the galleries with me, Sella," Mary said softly.

"You gonna teach me all about what's in there?"

"I certainly will!"

Their housekeeper was turning their daughter into quite the art aficionado. She loved going to the galleries and seeing the paintings and even started doing some painting herself. Archie decided that he was going to check into getting her into an art class when they got back home and she was taking sketching lessons from Bae.

After Vittorio left, the family explored their suite. Along the walls were portraits of some of the celebrities who stayed in the suite including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Marie Callas. There was a big screen TV in the living room along with a plush white loveseat and chairs, a fireplace and three large windows that gave the family a pleasant view of the city. There was a library of Italian movies the family could watch on the tall shelf in the corner of the living room.

The two bedrooms showcased modern Italian style with elegant crystal chandeliers on the ceilings, the gems shaped like luminous rain drops. Chaise lounges in blue and maroon were placed before the beds and each room had a small desk and also a marble fireplace.

"Archie….you're insane, you know that! This is costing you a fortune!" Marie cried.

"I told you before, it's worth every penny. You and our daughter are worth every penny to me. Marie, for twenty-eight years I had no one to do things like this with," he said softly, placing his hands on her shoulder. "I don't care how much it's costing me."

"I love you so much…" she whispered. No one except her family and friends ever thought she was worth anything before, especially worth spending a fortune on for a honeymoon. In the back of her mind she could still hear people in Storybrooke calling her a gold digger and Archie a fool but they didn't see them behind closed doors and see how much they loved each other.

Later that evening, Marie felt like a celebrity on the red carpet when she walked out of their hotel in her elegant red satin gown and her husband looking even more handsome in his tuxedo with his hand in hers. A sleek Bentley limousine pulled up to the entrance of the hotel and the driver smiled as he opened the door for them.

Though their box was on the second story of the theater and they could barely see the stage except through a pair of opera glasses, the couple enjoyed hearing the beautiful music more than the elaborate sets and costumes, especially their favorite aria, Nessun Dorma sung by the Prince at night while the rest of the kingdom slept under the threat of death by Princess Turandot if his name wasn't discovered by morning and his vow that he would win her heart.

_We women certainly do make it hard for a good man to win our hearts, _Marie thought, thinking about how much Turandot reminded her of herself….too resistant to love until her own prince came and knocked her walls down. Though they loved Luciano Pavarotti's performances of the song the most, the man cast in the role of the prince sung the aria very well.

They were having such a wonderful time that they weren't ready to go back to the hotel yet. They asked their driver to drive them around the city for a bit to see the landmarks lit up at night. There were several beautiful churches within the vicinity of their hotel; some of them included the Santa Maria Della Vittoria and Santa Maria Maggiore. They planned on touring all of them as well as the other landmarks with Gisella during the day.

They stopped at the Fontana Di Trevi. Marie took several pictures of the fountain on her phone, marveling at the three statutes representing Ocean, Health, Abundance and two Triton horses. She could see coins in the water thrown by visitors to the fountain, treating it like a wishing well.

"The legend is that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you're assured a trip back here," Archie said softly.

"What do they do with all the money they collect here?" she asked.

"They use it to help the poor I'm told." He reached into his pocket and took out a large handful of coins and turned around, using his right hand he tossed the coins into the fountain over his left shoulder.

Marie wasn't surprised by her husband's generosity. She only hoped no one would try to steal the coins as she knew people tried to do in the wishing well back in Storybrooke and it made Regina furious.

When they returned to their suite Gisella was asleep on the loveseat with Pongo at her feet and Mary slumbered on the chair. Marie roused the housekeeper while Archie picked up their sleepy daughter and carried her into her bedroom.

"Goodnight Princess," he whispered and kissed her cheek.

"Night Daddy," she mumbled.

The next several days they spent most of the time exploring the city. The hotel offered guided tours but as they had in Greece, they preferred to create their own itinerary. They filled up several memory cards on their phones with pictures of the places they visited. They made their first stop the Colosseum.

"This where those guys fought lions and tigers?" Gisella asked.

"And each other most of the time," Marie answered.

She scowled. "That's gross."

"They held shows there too," Archie added.

As they walked around the ancient site, they could almost picture one of those events in their minds. Marie grinned, picturing her husband dressed as a gladiator.

"All right, my goddess, what wicked thoughts are in your head now?" her husband whispered in her ear.

"You know…gladiators were the celebrity crushes of women in ancient Rome…" she murmured.

"So?" he asked with a hint of jealousy.

"Sooo….my Adonis….I can see you as one of them…"

"I'd look ridiculous!" he protested.

"Not to me you wouldn't."

"Mommy, did they have a goddess like the one Daddy calls you here?" Gisella asked her.

"She was called Venus here, Sella but yes," her father answered.

"Are all the statues and pictures of her naked too?"

"Umm….well….most of them are…"

"And probably holds her boobs too…gross!"

Marie shook her head and chuckled.

"Sella, most of the Roman legends about their gods and goddesses are derived from Greek," Archie told her.

"You mean they copied them?"

"Something like that."

"Why didn't they get their own?"

"I don't know Princess."

"It's kinda like stuff from our world was copied here, isn't it?" Gisella whispered to her father.

"That's right, Princess but the stories are different. Look at me…"

"Yeah, the Jiminy Cricket in the movie is nothing like you. You're better."

"Well, your father does dance and sing and he does it so well…" Marie pointed out, remembering the romantic evening they spent alone in their suite in Greece where they danced and he sang to her. One day she was determined to get her husband to serenade her.

Later on they visited the Pantheon, listening to the tour guide explain the history of the building and pointed out the tombs of some of the most famous Renaissance artists.

"Who's that, Daddy?" Gisella asked her father, pointing to one of them.

"Raphael," he answered.

"Did he paint naked people too?"

"Ummm…once I think. Most of his works were religious pieces."

"Were all the old painters a bunch of perverts?" his daughter mused.

"Gisella!" Marie cried.

"Well, all they did was paint and make statues of naked people," she argued.

"Hush!" Marie whispered, seeing people staring at them upon hearing their daughter's comments.

After lunch they went shopping on the Via Condotti. Archie bought Rumple two new ties at Ferragamo, keeping the sorcerer's advice on colors, fabrics and designs in his mind while he shopped. Marie picked out a new purse for Belle in Hermes and while Marie, Gisella and Mary were in Prada, Archie raced over to Damiani to buy gifts for Marie and Gisella. He bought Gisella a heart shaped charm for one of her bracelets and his wife a ruby and diamond white gold necklace.

"Archie! You've bought us enough!" Marie protested when she opened the box at dinner that night.

"Daddy, you're gonna go broke spending all this money on us!" Gisella cried.

"You're both worth it to me," he insisted.

There were so many places they wanted to see that it would take the rest of their vacation to visit them all but Archie and Marie found they were exhausted well before evening and they would always go back to the hotel early. Gisella was excited when they dedicated an entire day to visiting the Villa Borghese gardens with a picnic by the lake followed by a boat ride while Mary took Pongo for his walk. The Dalmatian still had no success finding a mate of his own but he would know when the right one came along like his human did.

They were having such a wonderful time in Rome and the St. Regis that they hated to leave though they knew they had to. Their second hotel was an hour's drive away and not as elegant as the St. Regis but still comfortable. They would only be spending a week there before they returned to Maine and Archie and Marie wanted to spend the first evening in their new suite alone for a few hours while Gisella went to the movies with Mary.

Archie wanted to have a baby as much as his wife did but so far she showed no signs of being pregnant though they had many opportunities to work on it during their honeymoon. He'd just finished ordering their dinner when she came out of the bedroom in a black Dior dress he bought her.

"You look beautiful…" he whispered.

"And you, Doctor Hopper, look handsome as ever." He was wearing a black Gucci suit with a purple silk shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

They reluctantly broke their kiss when they heard knocking on the door and a bellhop wheeled in a serving cart with their dinner of chicken parmesan and set the table.

"Enjoy your dinner," he said and left the room.

"That looks delicious!" Marie exclaimed. Archie pulled out her chair for her and poured them both a glass of wine before he sat down across from her.

"To us," he said, raising his glass, his eyes meeting hers.

"To us," Marie said softly, clinking her glass against his. Archie stabbed at the piece of chicken with his fork, pulling off a small piece. He bit into it once and spit it out, throwing the fork on the tray. "I cannot believe this! What are we? Glutton for punishment?" he ranted.

"Baby, what is it?"

"The last straw is what it is! Blood red steak is one thing…ice cold chicken is another! What in the world is wrong with some of these cooks? Good gods….I'm checking us into a hotel with a damned kitchen in our room otherwise who knows what disaster we'll end up with on our plates next!"

Marie, knowing her husband to be as OCD about his cooking as her brother–in-law about his cleaning decided she needed to find out for herself if he was simply exaggerating. She cut off another piece of the chicken parmesan and nearly cracked her tooth. It was indeed ice cold.

"Well, so much for our plans for a romantic dinner in our room," she mumbled.

"I'll be right back!" he threw over his shoulder and went downstairs to speak with the front desk, the platter of cold chicken in his hands. He set it down on the desk then lifted the lid.

"Is something wrong with your dinner, Signor Hopper?" the clerk asked him.

Archie scowled and handed him a fork. "Taste _that_ then _you_ tell _me _what you think the problem is!" he snapped in Italian.

The clerk stabbed the piece of chicken with his fork and popped it into his mouth. Seconds later he spat back out. "This is frozen!"

"It's frozen all right and this was what was sent to me and my wife for dinner this evening. Now did you honestly expect me to eat it like that?"

"No, no signor…we'll get this taken care of right away!"

"Never mind! We'll be checking out in the morning anyway and finding a place with a damned kitchen…again!" Archie threw over his shoulder and returned to their suite.

"Hopefully we can find a place that doesn't require a reservation," Marie sighed.

"I'm sorry, darling."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"This wasn't how I wanted our evening to go."

"Well…it's not over yet," she reminded him. "We'll just go out to dinner but Gisella and Mary won't be back till late…plenty of time."

Fortunately they were able to find a restaurant in the city that didn't require a reservation and were able to have their chicken parmesan dinner cooked properly. Archie was still firm in his plans for them to check out the following morning and find a hotel with a kitchen.

"Darling, our flight home isn't until the end of the week," she reminded him.

"I know but there's a place with a vacancy that we can check into tomorrow. Marie, I don't want to run the risk of any of us getting sick from another culinary mistake."

"Then they'd better give you back what you paid to book the suite," she said angrily. "Otherwise I'm calling Rumple and he'll make them pay it back."

"I know it sounds like I'm overreacting darling but we don't want another incident like we had in Greece with Gisella in the hospital…"

"No, we don't….and now I'd feel better if you were cooking our meals for the rest of our vacation." She placed her hand over his. "But….since we still have one more night in that room…."

He signaled for the waiter to bring their check, not needing to ask her what was on her mind when it was the same thing that was on his.

Archie awoke the next morning with his stomach rumbling and an acidic taste in his mouth. As he tried to slip out of bed he woke Marie up.

"Archie, darling…are you all right…you're as pale as a sheet!" she cried.

"I….be back in a minute…" he gulped and raced into the bathroom barely making it to the toilet, his insides feeling like they were on fire and he was beginning to think he was vomiting them out.

Marie stood up and was going to go in and check on him when she felt a wave of nausea rush over her and ran into the bathroom, gripping the edges of the sink as she vomited. Just when they both thought it was over, they were throwing up again. Finally she felt her nausea subside and she came to a realization. It was early in the morning and both of them were nauseated. They also found they were more tired now and going to the bathroom more frequently than usual only they hadn't paid much attention to it since they were still enjoying their honeymoon and their time alone as a family.

"Must've been something we ate but for the life of me, I don't know what…" he groaned.

"No, baby, it isn't…" she said softly and kneeled beside him. "We've been so busy enjoying the time we've had alone and with Gisella that we've missed all the signs…."

"Marie, what are you talking about? Did we pick up some exotic disease?"

"Think about it. We're both tired all the time…going to the bathroom more and now…now we both get sick in the morning. Who else had this happen to them…and what did it mean?"

"Marie…" he whispered.

She took his hand and placed it on her still flat belly, her eyes filled with tears. "I'm going to have our baby, Archie…"

He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I love you!" he cried, kissing her passionately. Were he not so nauseated he would have picked her up and spun her around in a victory dance.

"I love _you_!" she sobbed.

They sat there and held each other until the nausea subsided then got back into bed, Archie falling back to sleep with his head resting on her belly where his child grew. At that moment he was the happiest man in all the realms.


	13. More Will Be Revealed

13

~ More Will Be Revealed ~

_More will be revealed_

_Every second of each day_

_My heart is healed_

_There's a new beat every moment_

_A new world every minute_

_I don't know where I'm going_

_At least at last I'm in it…_

Chicago – More Will Be Revealed

Their plane landed in Maine a week later. Rumple called them shortly before they arrived to tell them that he was sending Alex to pick them up. He also filled them in on the planned return to the Enchanted Forest. Many were eager to go back right away but Rumple wanted to wait a few days so that the Hoppers could readjust to the time differences between Maine and Europe.

"Welcome back Doctor Hopper, Missus Hopper," Alex greeted the couple when he approached them. "Did you enjoy yourselves on your trip?"

"We did but it's great to be home," Archie said with a smile.

"Hi Mr. Dove!" Gisella cried.

"Hello Gisella."

"Woof!"

"And you too, Pongo," the former dove said and kneeled down to pet the Dalmatian then he and Archie collected the family's luggage and carried it out to the limousine. They were all still exhausted from the long flight and dozed off in the car. Dove woke Archie and Marie up once they were in the driveway of the Hopper's Dutch Colonial.

When they got out of the car they were shocked to see Rumple, Belle, Bae, Adriana, Major and Adriana's bears waiting for them with a huge banner hanging over their front door that said: WELCOME HOME! in gold calligraphy.

Belle hugged her sister. "You look great Marie, my gods, you're practically glowing! I take it you had a good time on your honeymoon?"

"I had a wonderful time," she murmured.

Rumple embraced his brother–in-law. "Was the world outside everything you hoped?"

"Everything except the food in a few places….but I'll tell you about that later. Right now I feel like I could sleep for a few days. Word of advice Rumple: jet lag is awful!"

He knew soon they would have to tell their in-laws the other reason for their exhaustion but they wanted to wait until things settled down and thankfully their daughter was keeping her mouth shut for a change.

"Next time I'll make you a potion for that. Come on; let's get you all settled back in."

Gisella was practically talking Bae's ear off about their experiences in Athens and Rome and Pongo and Major were barking back and forth to each other, the Dalmatian describing his own adventures in the ancient cities, more specifically with the dogs he met.

Mary was more than happy to look after Adriana while the Golds helped the family unpack but they insisted she sleep too. Now that she was using her powers again, the nurture mage did not need as much sleep as she used to but there was no arguing with Rumple.

"Now you go on and get some sleep dearies and I'll make dinner." Rumple said to the exhausted Hoppers.

"Rumple, you really don't have to. We can order from Granny's…" Archie protested.

"Nonsense! You need a good home cooked meal. I insist! Go on…off to bed and if I catch ye down here before dinner, I'll send ye back," the sorcerer threatened with a grin.

"But you might need my help in the kitchen…."

"Upstairs, Cricket, or do ye want me to get my wife after ye with the broom!"

"I'm going!" Archie threw up his hands in surrender. Marie was already in bed waiting for him when he walked into the room.

"I feel like I could sleep a week," she murmured when he crawled into bed beside her.

"So can I but we're going to have a lot to do when we go…home."

While Rumple cooked dinner, Belle started washing the Hoppers' laundry that they didn't get serviced at their last hotel and Bae took Pongo and Major out for the walks. Adriana insisted on being with her father in the kitchen. Two hours later the Charmings, Hatters and Hoods arrived to inquire how the world travelers were doing.

"We know they're probably tired but I can't wait to hear all about their trip and see what pictures they took!" Snow exclaimed.

"I'll be waking them up in a bit for dinner and you can ask then, Snow."

"Maybe we should wait till tomorrow, Mom," Emma said.

Belle came out of the laundry room balancing a basket on her hips.

"Need any help, Belle?" Snow asked.

"If you want to." She handed her another basket filled with clothes needing washed.

While Emma was trying to tiptoe down the hall to use the second floor bathroom she was stunned to find one of Adriana's bears standing outside Archie and Marie's closed bedroom door guarding it. The bear held its hand to its mouth almost as if it were telling her to keep quiet and not wake them up. There were two other bears posted at Mary and Gisella's doors.

Rumple left the family sleep for another hour then sent Bae upstairs to wake them for dinner. Though they were still tired, they were more than happy to show everyone some of the pictures and videos they took of their trip and handed out their gifts. The others couldn't help feeling a bit envious, The outside world did have some dangers, it also had its charms as was evident in the presentation given them by their adventurers.

All of the people wanting to travel back to the Enchanted Forest gathered at the Gold house a few days later. Because there were so many of them, they would have to toss the bean in an open field so that the portal was large enough to fit everyone.

Rumple, Belle, and Bae found all their old clothing in the basement of the shop and had it delivered to all of the travelers two days before the portal opened as well as magic bags created by Mary Poppins so that could carry anything they wanted with them.

"Soooo...when are you going to indulge ME, Hopper?" Marie demanded of her husband after she saw her son and nephew dressed in the famous, or infamous depending on how you looked at it, leather pants.

"I am not wearing them, Marie...not in this lifetime or the next...And besides...I think I indulged you enough on our honeymoon..." Archie murmured.

"Oh will you all get a room!" chuckled Regina.

"We will...once we get back to our castle..." Belle whispered.

Marie gave her husband a heated look. The room she wanted was the one she stayed in when the first met and this time he would stay in her bed, not his own.

"Well if you can come up for air, I'd like to see this place," Emma said.

"Sorry, dearie. I . .. err . . .have that effect on her in these," Rumple coughed, amused.

"So I gathered."

She was busy admiring a certain Hatter in his own leather pants.

"All right, now is everyone ready?" Rumple called out.

"We're ready, Rumple," Archie called back.

"Then let's get going," he said, and led the way to the glowing portal. David and Jeff along with a few other hearty adventurers still in the forest had gone with Paul's help and cleared the land of ogres. The queen's castles were still standing and so were a lot of other residences

Grumpy stood beside the portal, ready to take tolls. He held a glowing crystal ball, which would capture a single happy memory of each person's time in Fairy Tale Land, to be retrieved once they returned to Storybrooke.

"We're going home, sweetheart," Belle said to her daughter.

Marie's was the day her daughter was born. As she placed one hand on the crystal ball the other caressed her abdomen. She was planning on telling her sister her good news soon.

Next it was Gisella's turn. Hers was the night she was told she would meet her new daddy in a new land and there he was...right beside her.

When Archie placed his hand on the globe he recalled the day he first met Marie, chasing him around the castle with the infamous Bordreaux broom.

"We're home, darling!" Belle said to her daughter when they came out of the portal in the Dark Castle gardens. As she feared, the castle itself was in disrepair after so many years of neglect. The weeds were overgown and some of the beautiful statuary was broken and that was just on the outside. She dreaded finding out what it looked like inside.

Pongo looked up at the castle and started barking.

"Easy Pongo..." Gisella soothed.

Major growled.

Bae stroked him. "It's okay, boy. Nothing's gonna hurt you." He looked uneasily at Rumple and Belle. "What's with him?"

"The curse lingers a bit," Rumple said, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He concentrated and the lingering darkness was dispersed.

"But...how?" Archie asked, confused. "The second or the first?"

"Most likely it's the first one, "Belle said.

She grabbed Rumple's hand, fearful of being parted again.

"It's all right. It's not active, it's just . . .when a Great Magic is worked, it leaves an aura . . .and it can be felt by us sensitives . . .or animals."

"Thank God Regina burned that damned book with the curse in it," Archie grumbled.

Adriana began whimpering a bit.

'Shhh...it's okay sweetie...Papa won't let anything hurt you..." Belle murmured.

Emma frowned. "Is that why I feel like somebody just walked over my grave, Gold?"

"That's why," he assured her. He reached out and caressed Adriana's face. "Shhh, babydoll. It's okay, the bad thing is gone away now."

Regina breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel the dark magic calling to her, tempting her but even without the bracelet she now had the strength to resist it because she had so many people believing in her.

Rumple went to the great double doors and touched them in a certain pattern. Then he whispered, "I have returned."

The doors shimmered with light and then opened, the spell warding them broken at last by the return of the master of the castle.

Rumple entered the foyer, and at the first touch of his boot upon the floor, the enchanted sleep was broken.

Gabby raced out of the family room, barking. "The Master! It's the master..."

The hassock skidded to a halt when it saw Major and Pongo.

The shepherd cocked his head in puzzlement. "Whuff?"

Pongo was equally confused. "Whuff?"

The two dogs approached the hassock and sniffed it.

Gabby wagged his tassel and yipped, "Master! Oh, master! You've come home and you brought FRIENDS for me to play with!" He began barking happily and sniffing the two dogs.

"That's not all we brought, honey," Belle said softly. "We have a few additions to the family."

"Where? Where?" Gabby was running in circles and had he been a real dog he probably would have peed on the floor from excitement. "Everyboody! The Master's hoome! Whoo hoo!"

"He hasn't changed a bit!" Bae laughed and went to pet the hassock.

"Oooh Daddy...lookit...he's just like the thingie in Beauty and the Beast," Gisella exclaimed.

Belle kneeled down holding Adriana. "Here's one of the new additions to the family, Gabby...meet Adriana."

"Ohh! Hello! Hello! Belle, why's she so tiny?" Gabby wagged his tail and licked the baby.

"She was just born a few months ago."

Suddenly a familiar candlestick and a mantel clock slid down the bannister and Lumiere cried, "Mon Dieu! 'Tis a baby, Cogsworth! Master, is that-?"

"Lumiere! Cogsworth!" Belle exclaimed.

"Milady Belle! Master Rumple! You've returned!" Cogsworth cried and ran to hug Belle.

"Lumiere, meet my daughter, Adriana Isabella Gold!" Rumple announced proudly.

Lumiere hopped over to see Adriana. "Oh, she's beautiful! Looks just like her papa!"

"How wonderful!" Cogsworth cried, smiling.

Gisella approached them. "You're like the clock in Beauty and the Beast!"

Cogsworth looked up at her. "And who are you, young miss?"

"M'Gisella Hopper. And there's my mommy and daddy…an our doggie Pongo," she said, pointing back at her parents and their dog.

"Hello again, Cogsworth. It's nice to see you again, said Marie.

"Lady Marie! How lovely to see you again!" the clock came and shook her hand and Gisella's hand. "Welcome back!"

"And this is Archie...my husband but...he didn't look like this when he was here before."

"No...I was a cricket." Archie said.

"You . . .were Jiminy Cricket!" Cogsworth cried. "And now you're a man again!" He shook Archie's hand too.

"Yes I am."

"It's Belle, Bae, and the Master!" yelled Tobias as he and Wesley hopped into the room.

"Master! When did you get back?" cried Tobias.

"Was it an awfully long time?" asked Wesley.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Of course, you noddle head! You act like he was gone just last night!"

"Well, it feels like last night, you pudding brain!" Wesley shoved his brother. "Outta the way! I get to say hi first!"

Tobias shoved him back. "No me!"

"Me!"

"No, me!"

"Lads!"

Rumple gave both of them a Look.

Both shakers froze and looked at the ground. "Sorry, Master." They chorused.

"Well, I see they haven't changed," Belle chuckled.

Adriana laughed and tried to reach for them.

"Did you think they would?" Rumple chuckled. He knelt and picked up the two shakers. "I missed you too, lads. Now there's some people I'd like you to meet. Say hello to my baby girl, Adriana." He went and showed them to her.

"Hi! I'm Wesley!" said the salt shaker, and he took Adriana's finger in his small hand.

Adriana burbled at him.

"An' I'm Tobias," said his brother. "But you call me Toby. Pleased to meetcha!" He took her other hand.

The baby giggled at him.

"Wow! Now we gots one of everything in the castle!" Wesley cried.

"'Cept a king. We don't got that," Tobias reminded him.

"The Master's better than any old king!" Wesley declared.

"Daddy, how come you didn't tell me they got salt n pepper shakers that can talk too?" Gisella demanded of her father.

"It would've ruined the surprise, Princess."

Tobias looked at Gisella. "Hey! You're a princess? Then is he a king?"

"If he's her daddy then he is!" Wesley rolled his eyes. "Duh! Jarhead!"

"Nah my daddy's not a king but he useta be a cricket."

"Shut up, salt for brains! B'fore I tip you over and spill 'em all out!" Tobias snapped.

"You're funny," Gisella said and laughed.

Tobias grinned. "That's cause I got all the brains in the family. How'd your daddy become a man if he was a cricket? Was he enchanted like us?"

"Uh-huh. The mean blue fairy made him one...then we when we got to the new land he was a man. An then that meanie Zelena turned him back into a cricket an' mommy kissed him so he's never gonna be a cricket again."

"Cool!" Wesley said. "That's as good a story as the ones the Master tells us!"

"She's my papa's niece, boys," Bae told them. "And she's gonna be staying here too."

"Yippee!" Tobias shouted and spun about. Pepper flew all over.

Rumple and Adriana sneezed.

"You idiot! You got all the brains in the family my butt!" Wesley snapped.

"I forgot how crazy they are," Marie said with a laugh.

"They're like little kids too..."

"They are, Gisella," her father answered.

"More n'you!" Tobias stuck his tongue out at Wesley. "Mama said so!"

"Mama died when you were born!"

"Well, she woulda said it, so there!"

"Lads, enough! Or would you like five minutes in the corner?" Rumple asked sternly.

"Ooh you better quit cause the corner sucks," Gisella advised.

"No!" yelped Wesley.

"We'll be good!" Tobias said. They gave Rumple their best innocent-little-boy smiles.

"I'm actually curious about how the kitchen is going to act with another cook in the family," Belle said to her husband.

"Oh I doubt they'll let me near it," Archie laughed.

"If I say so, it will," Rumple said firmly. "Toby, Wes, why don't you show Gisella around here while I introduce Archie to my kitchen? Gabby, Bae, you can show everyone else to a guest room and make sure if there's any enchanted furniture you introduce them properly."

"Okay, Papa." Bae said.

Rumple set Wesley and Tobias down and Tobias hopped over to Gisella and said, "Yay! I'm a page! Follow me!"

"Yeah a blank page," his brother muttered. "Let's show Gisella the family room."

"What's in there...more stuff like you guys?"

"Uh huh. There's Misty the sofa . . ." Tobias told her.

"Oooh I wanna see!"

"This way!" yodled Wes.

"C'mon Pongo, Major!" Gisella called back to the dogs.

The dogs and Gabby followed.

"Mom, I wanna see too," Henry said to Regina.

"Me too!" Jason cried.

"And me!" Roland added.

"Go ahead...but don't touch anything you shouldn't," Regina said to the younger boys.

"We won't!" Roland promised. "We don't want Mister Rumple to put us in the corner."

"Wonder if Misty's a dog like Gabby, Major, and Pongo," Gisella mused.

"Nope! You'll see!" said Wesley. As he approached the family room door, it swung open. "Hey, Misty! We got guests again in the castle! And not mean ol' butthead ones like snotty Zelena either!"

"Rowl? Rowllllll!" the sofa screeched when it saw the two dogs.

"Oooh, it's a kitty!" Gisella exclaimed.

She hopped onto the sofa and petted it. "Major an Pongo won't hurt you, kitty..."

Misty arched her arm up and purred.

"I wanna pet the kitty!" cried Jason.

Gisella moved over so the two younger boys could join her.

Sensing the cat was friendly, the dogs lay down on the floor in front of her.

Henry went and stroked the cat sofa marveling at how soft it was. "Like a cat's fur!"

"You got any more like her here, Wesley?" Roland asked.

"Uh, no. She's the only cat," the salt shaker answered. "But we got more enchanted stuff in the kitchen and upstairs. Master's study gots a bookcase and Belle's room has Cosette the armoire."

"And Mrs. Potts and Chip!" said Tobias. "He's a sugar bowl kid, like us. And his mama's the teapot!"

"I wanna see!" Gisella cried.

"C'mon!" Tobias ran over to the door. "They're on the tea cart in the alcove by the dining room!"

Henry was fascinated by everything in the castle, and asked many questions as they went through it, wanting to know everyone's story.

When Rumple walked into the kitchen, it gave a rousing cheer, like a crowd celebrating the return of a hero.

"I've got a lot to live up to, don't I?" Archie asked him.

"Uh . . . it kind of worships me," Rumple admitted awkwardly.

"Master, have you come to cook?" cried Ormand the meat cleaver.

"I have all the food ready!" sang Adelaide the pantry.

"I'm ready for some stew," said Ocras the cauldron.

"Hmmm...wonder how they'd react to my chili..."

Rumple clapped his hands. "Everyone, listen up! This is my brother-in-law, Archie. He'll be living here in the castle now and while he's here, he's going to cook like I do."

Archie prepared to duck flying objects.

"Nobody cooks like you, Master!" Ormand said loyally.

"Umm .. . well . . .he's almost as good and that's really a matter of opinion. So . . .as long as he's here, you will all be gracious and polite . . .or else you'll go into storage with that harpy Chantal!"

"I'm not going into storage!" protested Adelaide.

"You know how to cook boy...prove it!" demanded Ocras.

"Go on," Rumple urged. "Show them. You can ask for any of the spices you need and they'll come to you off the rack. Anything else, Adelaide will give to you."

Archie rolled up his sleeves. "All right...you're in the mood for stew? Let's try my beef one..."

"Ocras will give you water," Rumple said pointing to the cauldron. "Just say "Fill yourself" and name the liquid. His name means hungry."

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He'd written down the spices that were used in the Ramen noodle packets and managed to replicate it while he was in Rome.

"All right Ocras...I'll need you to fill yourself with water."

The cauldron obeyed, and pure water filled it.

"Adelaide, I will need the flour, please."

The pantry popped open her drawer and flour appeared on the counter.

He started calling out the other ingredients...onions, beef, carrots, eggs, potatoes.

They all appeared on the counter next to him in the order he'd asked for them.

He grabbed a bowl and mixed the flour, eggs and some oil in it then used a rolling pin to flatten it out.

Then using a knife, he started cutting the flour into small square shaped pieces.

Once the noodles were made he placed them on a tray and set them aside while he chopped up the carrots, potatoes, onions and beef.

"Is there anything else you need?" the pantry asked him.

"Tobias and Wesley," Archie answered.

Then he started calling out the order for the spices he would use in his roast beef seasoning.

He set the spice aside and placed the beef cubes in the cauldron to cook first.

Rumple summoned the shakers to him. "Lads, we need you to season some stew."

"You're not cooking?"

"No, Archie is," Rumple explained. "He's my brother, so you're to listen to him while he's in the kitchen like you do me, understand?"

"Kay! What you need us to do, Archie?"

"I'll need you to season the spices in this bowl and the beef in the cauldron...about three shakes each…understand?"

The two obeyed and shook three times into each object.

"How you know how to cook if you were a cricket before?" Tobias asked.

"I had to before I became one...my parents didn't know how..."

"Our papa didn't either. Everything he tried to make tasted like sawdust," Wesley told him. "He was a carpenter. But Toby and I didn't wanna work with wood . . .so when he died we went an' 'prenticed ourselves to the head cook here . . .ole Huff n'Puff."

"My parents didn't want to do much of anything...except run cons..."

"His real name was Phillippe," said Tobias. "But he was like a dragon so's that's why everybody called him that. He was a pain in my butt. Usta pull my ear when I forgot to give him something. An' once he beat Wes with his shoe."

"Well I don't beat anyone...you can ask my daughter."

"And you know I don't either." Rumple put in. After hearing that he was glad the stove had flown away.

While they were talking, Archie kept an eye on the beef and once it was cooked, he added the noodles one at time.

Tobias nodded. "And we know you'd never let anyone hurt us either, Master."

Once the noodles were cooked, Archie added the vegetables and his seasoning.

"What do you think so far?' he asked the kitchen.

He hadn't made any of them fly away or burned the place down.

The kitchen clapped. "You're a good under chef!" the utensils cheered.

"At lease you won't throw my mistakes out on the road and yell get your roadkill."

Tobias giggled. "Who does that?"

"My daughter." Archie chuckled. "Though while we were in Greece I was tempted to do it a few times when we went out to dinner."

"I can just imagine," Rumple chuckled.

"You know I cannot stand blood in my steak...well in this one place outside Athens they made my steak like that...and I sent it back."

"How many times?"

"Twice! We ummm...actually got thrown out of the place because Gisella DID take it off my plate the second time and threw it out on the road because we were outside."

Rumple started laughing. "I would have paid good money to see that!"

"Marie recorded it she just never got around to showing it to you. And one night in Rome Marie and I just felt like staying in and umm...we ordered chicken parmesan and when we got it...part of it was still frozen!"

"Oh gods! I would have had a fit."

"Oh I did...cursed the lot of them out in Italian."

"Good for you," Rumple approved.

"So our planned night in ended up having to go out to eat anyway."

"Well, here we can eat home every night, unless Maurice, Snow or Regina invites us to their castles."

"We ended up checking out of a hotel in Athens and another in Rome and finding ones with kitchens."

"The best meals are ones you make yourself." Rumple stated.

"You're not kidding Rumple though…in spite of a few mishaps…we did have a good time," Archie admitted.

While the men were in the kitchen, the women were upstairs helping Belle set up the nursery and getting settled in their rooms.

"I'm so glad to be back Cosette," Belle said softly.

"Belle!" the armoire ran and hugged her. "How glad I am that you've returned."

"And I'm married to Rumple, his curse is broken...and we have a baby..."

Cosette squealed. "You see? I told you he loved you . . .and can I see your little one?"

"You certainly can...Adriana…this is Cosette..." Belle held the baby up.

"Oh, how precious!" The armoire said. She reached out and tickled Adriana under the chin. "And aren't you the apple of your mama and papa's eye?"

"Oh yes...especially her papa, aren't you sweetheart?"

Adriana gurgled and all of her toys clapped their hands.

"Oh my! We have a little sorceress, don't we?"

"Yes. Rumple's had to rein in some of her powers..."

"Ah . . .well . . .your papa knows best, doesn't he, sweet thing?" Cosette cooed. "This one's gonna break a lot of hearts when she's older. Or her papa will when they come a'courtin' her!"

"Belle...I think I'll lie down a bit," Marie said softly.

Archie caught up with her as she was walking down the hall to the bedroom she convalesced in during her week in the Dark Castle.

Once they stepped inside and she saw the broken mirror on the wall, she backed away in fear. Archie took her in his arms.

"It's all right, darling. She can't hurt us anymore."

"I…can…feel…those damned vines wrapped around me…" she gasped.

He could almost feel another pinning him to the ground, bringing back his feelings of helplessness while the other vines tried to smother the women he loved as part of a demented woman's scheme of revenge. He counted to ten, took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"Look at me, Marie," he pleaded. She raised her head and her eyes met his. "They're gone. _She's_ gone."

"I hate her so much for what she did to us!" Marie snarled.

"But she didn't win darling, we did because we had the one thing she didn't…our love."

He didn't know who the second curse's final victims were but he was grateful to them for ridding them all of Cora's influence once and for all.

He kissed her gently. "No one is going to tear us apart again Marie," he vowed. "They can try but I'll find a way back to you."

She didn't have any trouble believing in him now. He'd proven, time and again that no matter what problems the fates threw in their direction, he always came back for her, always fought for her. Like her sister, she didn't need a white knight on a steed…all she needed was her cricket….her doctor whose greatest strength was his loving heart.

Archie picked up the bag containing their clothes and searched through it until he found a set of Enchanted Forest nightclothes. Marie shook her head and reached back in, taking out the green satin pajamas they wore on their wedding night and their honeymoon.

"I hated my old nightclothes….always felt like straitjackets on me," she mumbled.

"Darling, you know it gets cold here at night."

She smiled. "I'll be warm enough." She patted the empty space in her bed invitingly. "Come to bed."

When he crawled into bed and glanced over at the night table he was shocked to find the beds Rumple and Bae made for him while he was still a cricket sitting there.

"I remember sometimes waking up in the middle of the night and seeing you watching over me," Marie whispered.

"So many times I thought about just coming out and saying it….that I loved you and that somehow…we'd be together after the curse…"

"I was so blind….everything I needed….everything I wanted….you were right there…all along….first as the cricket who made my days brighter just talking to me…then as the man…."

"Let's not think about the past anymore, darling, and concentrate on what we have now…and what we'll soon have." He caressed her abdomen.

They drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the day when they would hold their child in their arms.

Belle, Moe, Gisella and Marie were curious to see how their old village fared during the curse and it was decided that the whole family would take a trip to Avonlea. The other families wanted to join them as well, many of them never ventured that far into the realm.

It had rained the night before and there were mud puddles everywhere, splashing water and dirt onto the sides of the carriages and on the horses Snow, David, Robin and Regina were riding. They didn't mind it...they were used to it.

Rumple enlarged his original carriage so that it could accommodate his large family. He was busy weaving a new blankie for Adriana while Belle rocked her to sleep. Bae was sketching with Major dozing at his feet. Marie and Archie were sleeping and Gisella was looking out the window and petting Pongo who was sprawled across her lap.

"Are we there yet?" she asked impatiently.

Moe lowered the book he was reading and frowned at his granddaughter. "I hate it when they do that." he grumbled to Rumple.

"It's a given with children, dearie. Now Gisella, we still have a ways to go...why don't you color something?"

"Yeah and if you keep asking if we're there yet, we're never gonna get there," Bae repeated something Rumple had said to him once in a fit of exasperation going to the market one day.

"Why not?"

"Because something's gonna happen so we don't," Bae answered.

Suddenly the carriage struck a rock. Belle cradled her daughter to her chest protectively as the carriage bounced in the air. Moe groaned as his head struck the ceiling and Archie and Marie were thrown off their seat and onto the floor.

"What the hell...?" Archie moaned.

Marie was smirking beneath him. "I'm not complaining."

"See what I mean?" Bae muttered, grabbing his sketchbook. Major woke up and gave a soft bark.

Adriana also woke up and started crying.

"I didn't do that!" Gisella wailed.

"Damn...I feel like my head's exploding..." Moe groaned.

Rumple reached over and touched him on the head, healing the injury. "There, good as new, dearie!"

"Great...you two...off the floor...save that for when we get to the castle...damned newlyweds!" Moe grouched at his other daughter and her husband.

"Oh Papa, relax...we weren't doing anything...yet..." Marie murmured.

The couple got up and back into their seat. "Gisella, sweetie...what's wrong? Did you hit your head?" Marie asked her daughter.

"No...but Bae said something bad was gonna happen if I kept asking are we there yet?" she sobbed.

"He was just teasing, Princess. It was an accident," Archie soothed.

Most of them were tired of riding and wanted to get out a bit and walk around or just sit. Because the terrain would make walking difficult for Rumple even with his cane, he decided to stay behind with Bae, Moe and Adriana. Roland, Henry, Jason and Gisella went off to play a game of hide and seek. Archie and Marie went for their own walk. Snow and David were going to use the free time to teach Emma sword and archery skills. Robin asked Regina if she would like to learn but she declined with a smile saying Robin could teach her anytime. She spotted Belle walking alone and approached her.

At the other end of the trail Archie and Marie were sitting on a log, both of their faces pale.

"We're going to have to tell everyone soon before they find out on their own," Archie groaned and leaned over as he was overcome by another wave of nausea. Seconds later Marie was vomiting beside him.

"This is….worse than when I was pregnant with Sella," she gasped.

"Are you all right?"

"Are _you_?"

"I'm getting used to it. Rumple's already been through this and I know it's just going to get worse until you give birth. "

"It just feels so different…having someone this time…"

"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly, taking her hand in his and gazing lovingly into her eyes. "We should be getting back."

He helped her to her feet and they walked back to the road.

Jeff and Emma were playing a game of dodgeball with all the kids. Pongo and Major were chewing on bones Rumple conjured for them and the rest of the adults were sitting in front of a fire he made sipping tea and cocoa.

"Can't we make camp here? I'm tired of riding," Emma complained when she, Jeff and the children joined them. "Or why don't we just magic ourselves to the castle?"

Snow frowned at her daughter. "You wanted to see our world…how are you going to see it if we magic ourselves to the castle?" she demanded.

"Ummm…you got a point there Mom…but I'm used to riding in a car, not a carriage where you bounce around like you're on a trampoline."

"Hey…why don't we…it'd be just like we were camping!" Henry suggested.

"Henry, Adriana's too small to be out camping," his father reminded him.

"But Rumple can put some kind of protection on her so she can't get sick or cold, can't you?" Henry inquired of the sorcerer.

"Daddy I wanna camp out!" cried Roland. "Be just like we was in the Sherwood Forest an' in the woods back home. C'mon…please…?"

"Mommy, I wanna camp too!" added Jason.

"So do I!" declared Grace.

"Me too!" Gisella was already giving her parents the sad puppy look.

"Be just like old times for us, eh guys?" Bae asked his fellow Scorpions and Purple Knight.

"Yeah…'cept we did that when had to pull a job that was too far away from the warehouse," said Kat.

Rumple scowled at them. "Let's not be discussing your criminal misdeeds in front of the little ones, you lot!" he scolded. "And I DO NOT want to hear that kilt song or your backsides will be sore, my kids or not!"

"Oh we know what it is!" Grace said and laughed.

"Gracie!" Jeff cried.

"Me too," said Gisella. "It's 'bout some guy's weenie."

Archie facepalmed himself. "Marie…..if you tell me she heard that from Zelena I am going to skin that goat when we get back!" he growled.

"You won't hear me complain," she grumbled, ready to do it herself.

"Nuh uh….it was that other witch…Ashley Boyd. She was telling the blue witch about it one day 'cause some guy wore one without any undies on…that's gross!"

The former gang members were laughing. "Damn, they know more than WE do half the time!" exclaimed Ewan.

"Henry Mills Hatter, just WHERE did you and your sister hear about that song?" demanded Regina.

"You Tube. Some kid at school told us about it because they said Ewan and Bobby sang it at the dance and they recorded it."

"WHAT?" cried Belle, startling Adriana awake. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart…"

The baby screamed in protest.

She got up to walk her daughter around to try to calm her and when she approached Bae and his group, she shook her finger at them. "Now do you see why Rumple and I didn't want you singing that song at the dance? It's all over the school! You're lucky I don't take the broom to you!"

"Sorry, Missus Gold," Ewan and Bobby said, lowering their heads.

"And I'll be monitoring your internet activity a bit closer now, Henry," Regina said angrily.

"Same goes at our house," Emma spoke up.

"We gonna camp out or what?" Roland demanded of his father.

"That's up to Rumple…he has the baby to think of."

Adriana, however, had her father's answer ready. Several of her bears jumped out of the carriage carrying blankets and pillows.

Bae laughed. "It's the Stuffed Army!"

The bears marched up to Rumple and dropped the pillows and blankets at his feet while she clapped her hands and laughed from her position in her mother's arms.

Then they stood at attention, awaiting a reply.

Rumple looked at the stuffed animals, then back at his daughter. "It looks like Adriana is happy to be out here, so we'll spend the night here and get a fresh start in the morning." He made a large tent with his magic for him, Belle, Moe, and Adriana with all the amenities, and a larger one for Bae and his friends. Mark had opted not to come because he was working on some new computer software.

"Yay...we can make mountain pies too!" Roland cheered.

Mary conjured a tent for herself, Archie, Marie, Gisella, and Pongo while Regina and Emma created tents for the Charmings, Hatters, and Hoods.

"This is just like the progresses we used to do," Snow said softly to Regina.

The former queen smiled. That was when the people actually loved her. With a lot of help from her extended family and friends, the people of the Forest were starting to change their minds about her and placing the majority of the blame where it belonged...her mother.

"Let's make S'mores," Andi said, and took out some graham crackers from her backpack, along with marshmallows and chocolate bars.

"Oooh I love S'mores! An I wanna make pizza pies too!" Roland could barely contain his excitement.

"I'll get some sticks,"Bae offered. He went over to a good sized maple and began cutting some with his knife, which Rumple had gotten in a trade with Rip Van Winkle long ago.

"Didja bring our pie makers, Daddy?" Gisella asked her father.

"You didn't think I was going to leave them at home, did you?"

Archie pulled the pie makers out of one of the magic bags they brought with them along with ingredients to make several kinds of pies.

"This was perfect, Rumple," Belle said softly. "This little one of ours...is brilliant...getting us all here together as a family."

"Just like her mama," he said, tweaking his baby's nose.

Adriana reached for his face, her way of asking for kisses too.

Rumple kissed her gently.

She patted his cheeks with her tiny hands and giggled.

"This is what we used to do a lot, eh Hatter?" Emma asked Jeff. He grinned. They slept outside quite a bit back then when they didn't have money for a room and couldn't break in to one either.

They all gathered around the campfire with sticks ready to make S'mores and Archie's mountain pie makers.

"Only thing we're missing is the beer," joked Jeff earning angry glares from the other adults.

Suddenly one of Adriana's bears marched up to him and started pointing, shaking its head.

The baby herself wore a scowl on her face.

Jeff stared. "How does SHE know what I'm talking about?"

Rumple answered, "She doesn't understand the words, but she sees us disapproving of whatever you said so that's what she picks up on. Tone and emotion. She might only be a baby, but she's not stupid."

"You made her mommy an' daddy mad now she's mad," Gisella said and rolled her eyes. "Duh! Where's your brains?"

"Gisella, enough!" scolded Marie.

Bae smirked and whispered to Andi, "She took the words right outta my mouth."

"She was just statin' the obvious!" Roland said, rushing to Gisella's defense.

"Yeah cause that was really dumb...you can't have beer with kids around..." added Jason.

After having his backside handed to him by a bunch of kids, Jeff decided it was wiser to just let the subject drop.

The kids started off with S'mores first, the former Scorpions helping the kids put them on the sticks and putting them in the fire as Roland, Jason and Gisella were not allowed to be that close to the firepit.

"We useta tell stories while we camped out didn't we, Daddy?" asked Roland.

"Yes but no scary ones."

Bae laughed. "We used to scare the crap out of each other with ours...right Wraith?"

Andi grinned. "We sure did."

"Yes, well you can scare each other later, Bae," his father said.

"I can tell a story, " said Jeff. Emma scowled at him. "What?"

"Your stories are not fit for young ears."

"Okay, fine...YOU tell one then!"

"Do I look like a storyteller?"

"We have two schoolteachers here, why don't we have one of them tell a story?"

"I have one...and I may need your help with this one, Marie," Belle said to her sister.

"Dare I ask?" Marie chuckled.

"Ohhh...it's about the time when we staged that great escape."

"Great escape!" Moe cried. "You nearly started a riot!"

"Now I want to hear this..." murmured Rumple.

"So do I," said Archie.

Both men knew their wives were mischievous while they were growing up and had only heard of a few of their antics, now they were eager to hear about another.

"A few days before this incident...ummmm... Marie and I got into a bit of trouble with the cook..." Belle said sheepishly.

"What'd you do Mama, blow the place up?" Everyone in the group knew kitchens and Belle had a love/hate relationship since the stove incident in Rumple's castle and they weren't surprised to learn she'd gotten into some kind of trouble in the kitchen as a child too.

"No...but we ahhh...said we were going to help him cook and added a bit too much of a certain spice and..."

"Let's just say the outhouse was busy all day," Marie finished.

"Doin what, Mommy? One or two?" asked Gisella.

"Betcha it was number two, Sella," said Roland. "Cause that's what happened after we had Friar Tuck cook an' he put too much stuff in it."

"Ewwwww!"

"So...that was the FIRST time I was banned from the kitchen...and Papa told us we weren't allowed to go outside for a week."

"Belle had her books to keep her occupied but I was getting bored so I decided we were going to get out of the castle. We made a ladder out of our bedsheets and broke my bedroom window so we could climb out."

"And we did. We went into the village and was playing with a group of children when we saw one of the merchants refusing to sell an old woman a loaf of bread because she didn't have enough coins to pay for it. Marie and I went up to his stall and told him to quit being a greedy miser and let her have it...instead he hit me..."

"He's lucky I wasn't around then sweetheart or he would've been a snail," said Rumple angrily.

"He pulled my hair when I stepped on his foot," Marie added.

"And he's lucky I wasn't there or he'd be missing an eye or have a new hole where he didn't before!" growled Archie.

Gisella laughed. "That's what you said to that Black Dog when he pulled my hair ,Daddy."

"Well you mess with one of my girls and this cricket can beat you three ways to Sunday..."

"What did you do next, Belle?" asked Andi. The two women smirked.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, was the day the legend of the Bordreaux broom was made," Belle declared proudly.

"Whoo hooo...beatdown!" cheered Bae.

"It was the closest thing I could find...and bigger than me but I was so mad I must've been pumped full of adrenalin so I swung it and whacked him a good one...in a sensitive area."

The men cringed.

The women were grinning .

"Best place to aim, Belle." Snow told her. It was one of the ways she had of escaping when she was being pursued by Regina's knights and she was certain she'd gelded a few of them with the force from her kicks.

"She used the broom...I grabbed him and squeezed." Marie added.

"How old were you?"

"Twelve."

"Damn you two were lethal at that age? Scary thought," Jeff muttered.

"When Belle was done beating him I put in a few shots...and a couple of other ladies he'd treated the same way decided to get in on the action."

"Hence why I said they nearly started a riot." Moe finished.

"We were grounded again but Papa threw the merchant in jail for what he did to us."

Adriana clapped her hands and laughed. Her stuffed bear army hi-fived each other.

"I cannot get over how cool that is she can do that," exclaimed Grace.

Moments later she started crying. Belle lifted her up and patted her gently. "Okay, sweetie…let's go get you changed," she said softly and carried her daughter back to their tent.

"Papa, you want to tell them about how I almost blew up that castle?" Bae asked his father with a smirk.

"You're lucky you didn't, you scamp!"

"Why haven't I heard this one?" Andi inquired of her boyfriend.

"Well...errr..."

"Oh I'll be more than happy to answer that," Rumple sang.

"Yeah...this is gonna be good," laughed Bobby.

"I was out one day on one of my deals and one of my strictest rules was that Bae was NOT to be in my lab when I wasn't there. But...he wanted to make a perfume for a certain fair duchess himself instead of asking me."

"You almost blew up your papa's lab...for me?" Andi cried.

Bae blushed. "Ummm...yeah...but I was having trouble reading the ingredients and I kindasortaputtoomuchofsomething in..."

"What?" Ewan asked.

"That is exactly how it came out when I asked him what he was doing."

"How'd ya get all that out without needing to breathe?" Kat teased.

"I was holding my breath because I knew Papa was going to be mad enough to kick my butt."

"So what did you do, Rumple?" asked Becky.

"Oh I gave him a long list of chores."

His friends laughed.

"Aww c'mon guys…it's not like I actually blew the place up!"

"Well, you came close!" Rumple cried.

"Surprised Belle didn't give you a beatdown with the broom."

"That was before I brought her to live with us, Bobby."

"Okay we wanna hear more stories," Jason ordered. "You tell one now, Mommy."

"I don't know of many that are as funny as the ones we've heard so far…"

"I know the perfect one," murmured Robin.

"Which one?"

"The day I first saw you here."

"You robbed me!" Regina chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised the women in our family met our men during a robbery?" Emma asked.

"You were lucky you weren't turned into a slug, Hood," Rumple remarked.

"Did you use squid ink on her?"

"No, just his charm...charm that I should've been immune to but wasn't. He and his men set a nice little trap for me."

"What did they do, throw a tree on the road like when Snow robbed me?"

"Oldest trick in the book but it works."

"His men distracted my guards and he pounced on my coach like a tiger and snatched the chest of jewels I was going to give to Kathryn as a wedding gift then apologized to me...and kissed my hand."

"A charming robber...that's a new one," Emma muttered.

"Well when robbing a lady, you want to make it as pleasant as possible."

"If you happen to meet her face to face," Bae mused. "Usually I preferred to wait till my target was otherwise occupied and then take what I wanted."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Not as much fun, but better than getting caught and put in jail," Bae answered. "Besides half the stuff I lifted wasn't anything I really wanted to hang onto. I fenced it and got the money."

"I shouldn't be hearing this," laughed Emma.

"And don't be giving the little ones ideas either," scolded Belle.

"Who me?" Bae gave his best totally innocent look.

"Yes, you!"

"Mama, I never said how I did any of my jobs, just WHAT I did. And I don't steal things anymore. Don't need to." Her son protested, putting his arm around her and hugging her. "But when I did . . . " He suddenly opened his hand and revealed her sapphire rose ring in his palm. " . . .I was like a ghost." He smirked and handed the ring back to her.

She swatted at him playfully. "Scamp!"

One of his sister's bears jumped on his lap, shook its hand at him and blew a raspberry.

"Looks like she told you, Fire!" Andi giggled.

Rumple rolled his eyes. "I still don't know how any son of mine is so good at robbing someone blind."

Bae chuckled. "I've got your hands, Papa. Slender and quick and small enough to fit into people's clothes without noticing. See?" He opened his opposite hand to reveal Rumple's money clip.

Rumple rolled his eyes and muttered, "You're lucky I love you, Baelfire. Otherwise your hands would be paws by now."

"He's better than I was at his age," Archie confessed.

Marie swatted at her husband. "I would have given you a beatdown with the broom if you robbed me!"

"Hey Uncle Rumple, can we make pies like your Golden Delight cookies?" asked Gisella.

"Yes, if we had chocolate chips and peanut butter," he replied.

"Well we gots a magic bag..."

"Ask for some peanut butter and chocolate chips then," he encouraged her.

"Kay." She picked up the bag. "Can I have some peanut butter and chocolate chips please?"

She reached unto the bag and pulled out a container of peanut butter and Hershey's chocolate chips.

"All right. Let me see what I can do," Rumple said, and summoned his mixing bowl and spoon, some goat's milk, eggs, flour, and butter.

"Can I have one?" asked Jason.

"Me too!" cried Roland.

Soon Rumple was flooded with requests from the entire group wanting Golden Delights pies.

"You know this is weird...we're away from home but we brought some of home with us," Emma said indicating her cell phone.

"Best of both worlds," murmured Regina.

Since he didn't have an oven here, Rumple baked the pies using magic and then multiplied what he'd baked so everyone could have one pie at least if not more, using a simple Banquet spell.

After they ate, all of the kids started getting sleepy and their parents put them to bed.

Then the adults sat around the fire and Jeff started a game of poker with David, Robin, Regina, Emma, and some of Robin's men.

When Bae would have joined them, Rumple shook his head. "No, Baelfire. You're not old enough to gamble with them."

"We're not going to bed either," protested Ewan.

"You can play amongst yourselves," Rumple said. "For these." He gestured and a pile of all kinds of candy bars and drinks appeared.

"If you have Kit Kats...I'm whupping the pants off all of ya," said Becky.

"And me too with Reeses," Kat added.

"There's a bit of everything in there," Rumple said.

"Okay then mates, let's play!" crowed Bobby.

He pulled out his deck of cards and said, "I'll deal first. Five card draw poker."

Belle was just content to sit in front of the fire beside her husband.

Rumple put an arm around her and leaned against a convenient log, his cane resting on his other side. Fireflies winked off and on in the twilight sky. Further away, and owl hooted and a nightengale sang.

"This is what I loved most about this land...the natural beauty..." Belle whispered.

"Yes, dearie. Unbroken by car horns, exhaust, electric lights, radios, or TV's."

"And for a little while...we can have that..."

"Yes, we can," he said, sipping a cup of cocoa. He smiled impishly at her, cocoa ringing his mouth in a sweet mustache.

She smiled and traced it with her fingertip.

"See something you like, sweetheart?"

"Oh yes..."

She leaned over and kissed him.

Grinning, he kissed her back, murmuring "This is better than hot cocoa."

"Maybe you should get a room," laughed Marie from where she sat snuggled close to her own husband.

"You don't want to see, look away," Rumple teased. "Unless you want some pointers." He kissed Belle again.

"Ohhh we don't need pointers..."

Marie wrapped her arms around Archie and kissed him.

Bae glanced over and started humming the theme from "The Love Boat".

It was after midnight when everyone found their beds for the night. Later in the morning they would resume their journey to Maurice's castle.

"If it isn't the pox ridden bitchtress afterbirth of the devil herself...fancy meeting YOU here, Axelle!" Marie awoke the following day hearing Belle shouting outside.

She jumped out of their cot and grabbed her broom.

"Marie, you can't. Not in your condition!" Archie cautioned.

"I'll be fine but that tart is going to be flying out of here on a broom if she says one more word out line!"

"You rotten witch! Call my mama a whore again and I'll put your panties in knot so fast you'll need ten men to help you undo it!" Bae threatened.

"You won't need to!" shouted Marie coming out of her tent with her own broom and Archie behind her holding his umbrella.

Rumple emerged from his tent, his eyes blazing, holding his cane. "Whoever just called my WIFE a whore had better start praying to whatever gods have mercy upon stupid asshats!"

Axelle smirked. "Your taste in men really has gone downhill...both of you...You have the Dark One and she has...whatever THAT is..."

Archie's face was as red as his hair as he fought to control his rage.

Belle put a hand on her husband's arm. "She's not worth the waste of your talent."

"She might look good as a warthog, dearie . . .all stuck up to her snout in MUD!" sneered Rumple.

Axelle Villette's men dismounted from their horses. "Now you move these carriages and yourselves or we'll do it for you!"

The poodle was now face to face with Major and Pongo and growling at them.

Major bared his teeth and then picked up the idiot poodle in his jaws and held it aloft like a stuffed toy. It was the way he might have disciplined an annoying puppy.

"You stupid rug!" Gisella yelled. "Don'cha know these doggies can whup ya!"

"Watch your mouth around my dog...bastard!" Axelle hissed at Gisella.

"Who the hell colors a dog pink? You should be in jail for animal cruelty!" David shouted.

"And calls a child that word!" Snow cried angrily. "You ought to have been taught manners, you haughty piece!"

"That would be a miracle, since the Villettes were just gentleman farmers who married up in the world," Maurice sneered.

"She is one because her mother spread her legs for the whole village!"

"That bitch...!" Archie hissed. No one insulted his goddess. _No one. _

"Sticks and stones, dearie," Rumple growled. "Mind your tongue, hag, or else you'll be croaking a different tune."

Axelle smirked. "And what of you, Maurice Bordreaux? Gisella isn't the only bastard in your family, is she? So is her mother! You, Rumplestiltskin are nothing more than a coward spinner with a bit of magic!"

One of the horsemen fired an arrow from a crossbow tipped with squid ink at the sorcerer. They were carrying it as soon as word reached their village he'd returned.

Rumple moved and caught it in his hand. Some of the ink stained his fingers. He smirked and let out a giggle reminiscent of the Dark One he used to be. "Oh, dearie dearie, dear! Looks like your little ploy is a big fat epic FAIL!"

"What...? Nothing is supposed to stop squid ink...nothing!"

"Wrong again, you ignorant lout! Because I discovered something where I was for the last twenty-nine years . . .the counter to it!" Rumple catcalled. "And now, dearie, YOU'RE in big trouble!" He gestured and the man's crossbow suddenly became a thorny vine that stuck him with huge prickers.

"Yeeooowwww!"

"Take that, you prick!" Bae catcalled.

"And as for you...pox ridden bitchtress afterbirth of the devil...take this!" Belle snarled, swinging her broom and smacking Axelle on the backside.

The other woman stumbled backwards grabbed Belle's arm, sending them both tumbling down the hill into a large mud puddle.

"Ohhhh...you whore...you stupid WHORE...now I'm all dirty!"

"Matches your personality, Axelle!"

Marie and Archie raced to the edge of the hill and started laughing. "Oh my God...Archie...it's like..."

"McLintock!" they said together and laughed again.

The couple stood off in the distance, watching the most hilarious scene from one of their favorite movies being brought to life…unintentionally.

Over at their campsite the members of Axelle's entourage were starting to fight with the rest of the adults.

Rumple sent three of them flying with a gesture into the mud. "Take a bath, you flea infested sons of bitches!"

"Hey watch it, Rumple...I almost went in!" Archie cried when one of them barely missed knocking him into the mud puddle.

"So why don't you!" one of Axelle's men said and shoved him.

He landed in the mud puddle a few feet away from where Belle was throwing mud pies at Axelle.

Marie was looking down at her dirty husband, giggling.

"Oh, very funny Marie!" he called up to her.

"Well, you did say you loved this part…why not live it?" she teased.

Bae tore off his scarf and threw it inside his tent when he saw another man trying to sneak up on Rumple from behind. "Hey dumbbutt . . . how'd you like to get drowned?" He leaped at the man, tackling him into the mud.

"C'mon, guys! You hurt one Scorpion, you get your ass stung!" Bobby yelled and all the former gang members jumped upon Axelle's bodyguards.

One of them brushed up against Marie and sent her flying into the mud puddle.

"You idiots be careful! My wife is in a delicate condition!" Archie shouted up at them as he helped her to her feet.

Belle froze.

Marie groaned. "Archie, when are you going to learn NOT to blurt things out like that?"

"Wife? Right. Probably another bastard!" yelled Axelle.

"I'll give you a bastard you reject from a horse's ass!" Belle shouted back, dunking her head under the water.

"Dammit, Archie, where's a hat pin or a parasol when I need it?" Marie asked when another of Axelle's bodyguards was shoved past her.

"You're not sticking me in the ass with it! Stick them!" Archie laughed. "Ahh, get out of my way!" He shoved one of the bodyguards into the mud again and he and Marie landed in the puddle again when another bumped into them. "Come on, let's get out of here." He helped Marie to her feet and they started climbing back up the hill. Just as they reached the top of the hill, they slid back down and bumped into Rumple.

"Sorry Rumple!" Marie giggled. "Oh my God…Archie, here comes Regina!" She pointed up the spot on the hill where Regina was sliding down.

"You're a bit late, aren't you?" Archie teased the former queen.

"Oh, shut up, cricket!" she grumbled.

"Regina, could you conjure me a hat pin, please?" Marie asked her.

Regina smirked, waved her hand and long hat pin appeared in Marie's hand.

"Ohhhh baby…..look what I got!" Marie crooned, holding up the hat pin.

"I'm getting out of your way!" her husband chuckled.

Sly as a cat, Marie started creeping up behind the Villette men and jabbed them in the backsides with the hat pin.

"Anybody got a beer?" Jeff asked.

"No the right line is 'where's the whiskey!" Archie said with a laugh.

"What?"

"Oh never mind! Your idea of a good movie is probably Animal House!"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, Hatter! Rumple, may I have my umbrella please?"

Archie's umbrella appeared in his hands.

"Hey, I'm supposed to have that too. You use your fists!" Marie giggled.

"Oh, here then…the tip works just as good as that pin, darling!"

She smirked and whacked the backside of one man with the umbrella and jabbed another with the tip.

She was having so much fun she started jabbing anyone she saw.

"Owwww! Marie!" Archie spun around and glared at his wife.

"I love you, darling!" she sang.

"You always do that when you do something to irritate me," he grumbled, rubbing his sore backside.

"Well...Katie did stick GW with the pin too..." she reminded him. "And all you dirty men look the same from behind..." she added.

"Your targets are over there!" he cried, pointing to the group of bodyguards.

Jason clapped his hands. "Mommy, beat 'em up!"

"Hang 'em from the trees by their undies, Daddy!" hooted Roland.

Robin waded into the fray and delivered a quick right and a left combo that knocked a guardsman on his behind . . .and then the outlaw bellowed, "John! It's lynching time!"

Little John lumbered up and grabbed the hapless fellow by his collar and promptly stuck him in the tree Regina grew for him by his underwear. "You wanna fight? Now this is what I call a FIGHT!"

"YAY ATOMIC WEDGIE!" hollered Jason.

"As for you…" Marie growled, grabbing Axelle by her hair and hauling her to her feet. "Someone ought to hang you by your pox ridden pantaloons, bitch! You're just jealous because we found men who actually LOVE us not want our money or what rot is between YOUR legs!"

"Give her a black eye, Mommy!" Gisella yelled.

She wanted to, oh how she wanted to but she didn't want to risk harming her baby.

"If I wasn't pregnant right now Axelle Villette, you'd be bald and beaten black and blue!"

"Well I'm NOT and I'll gladly do the honors!" Belle said with broom in hand.

"That thing you're carrying is going to be as ugly as the idiot you spawned it on just like hers!"

"Call our babies ugly one more time, Axelle, and we'll see how ugly you get!" Belle threatened.

"Let's put this trash where it belongs...in the trees!" Emma growled.

Regina conjured more trees and they started hanging Axelle's bodyguards from them by their underwear. Belle chased Axelle back up the hill to her pink coach. Rumple turned her into a pink mouse and her carriage into a cage.

Belle laughed when she saw her old enemy in a cage.

"Are you going to send the witch back to her father?" Marie asked him.

"An' what we gonna do with Pinkie here?" Jason asked pointing at the poodle.

Bae snapped his fingers. "Maj, release!"

The shepherd opened his mouth and the poodle fell to the ground. It whimpered and rolled over on its back in front of Major, submitting.

"I wanna keep it!"

The little boy looked at Regina pleadingly.

"But he's pink, Jason...you gotta change him back first." Roland pointed out.

"So we can change him back an' he can live with us."

"Oh all right...if he wants to stay with us...Rumple, may need a bit of help with this spell."

"Okay, dearie. You need to change just the coat color, not the dog," he instructed his former student.

Regina concentrated and waved her hand over the dog restoring its snow white coat.

"There you go," Rumple nodded approvingly.

"Well ahh we should wash up..." Marie said to Archie. "And I'm a bit tired..."

The couple knew they were in for a scolding for not announcing their news sooner but both were exhausted.

Belle frowned at her sister. "I believe you have some news you need to share with me, Marie Hopper?"

"It's true, Belle...I'm pregnant," Marie said happily.

"That wasn't how we wanted to announce it..." Archie added nervously.

"It's a funny thing, expecting," Rumple remarked, his eyes twinkling devilishly. "It sneaks up on you unaware and ambushes you at the most inopportune moment. One minute you're sleeping peacefully and the next thing you know you're running to the bathroom to puke your guts out. Right, Archie?"

"Yes..."

"You feel like you've been possessed by some fiendish child that delights on jumping up and down on your stomach and making you feel like you're hanging upside down and spinning around like a top," Rumple continued.

"And eating everything in sight...I'm on the damned see food diet...I see it...I eat it!"

"An they're eating gross stuff too!" complained Gisella

"And things you used to love now make you throw up," Rumple said.

"My chili, Rumple! I can't handle it!"

Marie laughed. "He's afraid to lose his crown."

"I can make it if you can't," Rumple said.

"You'll have to..."

"And you can make Hopper's Heavenly Hash Brownies."

"Ummm not anymore..."

"Makes him puke!"

"Thanks Sella!"

"At least she's not as bad as Bae. He would wave a bottle of Pepto Bismol in front of me during breakfast," Rumple recalled.

"No, she does it too."

"And ask me if I wanted it or Alka Seltzer with my toast and tea."

Gisella smirked. "Cause Bae said if you got sick if mommy had a baby to do it!"

"Am I glad that's not gonna happen to me," Jeff muttered.

"How do you know, Hatter?" Emma queried.

"It didn't with Grace. Or Henry."

"You weren't with me when I was carrying Henry," Emma reminded him. "So you don't know for sure."

"Do too. And it ain't happening. No way Jose!"

Belle nudged Rumple. "He seems awfully sure of himself."

"Too sure," Rumple nodded. "And Fate has a way of knocking you on your ass for assuming things."

"Have you Seen something?" she whispered.

"Not clearly, but . . .let's just say he won't be so smug a few months or so from now."

He gestured and the pink coach was sent on its way again with a note inside for Axelle's father explaining this was a punishment for her daring to insult the former Dark One, his family, and his friends.

As the coach rolled off down the road, Adriana's stuffed animal army marched out and waved and blew raspberries at the departing pink carriage.

Then they all broke camp and continued onward to Maurice's castle.

When the carriages and horses carrying the Golds and their friends rode into Avonlea, a large crowd awaited them. Maurice stepped out of the Gold carriage followed by his daughters, their husbands, children and dogs.

"Welcome home, Sir Maurice!" the magistrate greeted.

"Thank you. I'm sure you all remember my daughters; Belle and Marie as well as my granddaughter Gisella. Now I am proud to re-introduce you to my son-in-law Rumplestiltskin Gold and my grandson Baelfire."

"Rumplestiltskin looks different," one of the women observed.

"I am no longer under the curse of the Dark One, dearie," Rumple said softly. "Though I still do have my magic."

Several women eyed him appreciatively. "I think he is more handsome in this form…" one said.

"Oh my yes," another agreed.

Bae snickered. "The leather chick magnet strikes again."

Belle wanted her broom.

"He's mine, you understand…mine…all mine!" she grumbled.

Before his daughter could commit assault with a deadly broom Maurice decided now was a good time to introduce his new granddaughter. "And I am proud to introduce you to my new grandchild Adriana Isabelle Gold!" he declared and held the little girl up. Adriana clapped her hands and smiled out at the crowd while her stuffed bears came out of the carriage and waved to the crowd, blowing kisses.

Bae laughed. "You're a little ham, aren't you, Rumplette?"

His sister blew a raspberry at him and her bears followed suit.

The crowd laughed. "That's so adorable!" an elderly lady said.

Maurice handed his granddaughter back to her mother. "And now I am pleased to introduce you to my second son-in law, Archibald Hopper, who was once known as Jiminy Cricket, advisor to Snow White. And soon…he and my daughter Marie will be giving me another grandchild."

"Oh my! So THAT's what he really looked like? I always wondered about that," another woman in the crowd said and stared at him.

"Mine…" Marie hissed. Now Belle was giggling.

"You want to borrow the broom?" she whispered.

"Have one of my own."

"Oh my God…what is it with you guys that you cause women to go nuts wherever you go?" Bae asked, clutching his belly as he laughed.

"I don't know but any of them think about touching and they'll be getting a few whacks with our brooms," Belle said.

Maurice went on to introduce the rest of their companions and thankfully Regina was given a kind reception due to word of mouth from people in other towns and villages they passed during the trip to Avonlea where everyone was learning that the Evil Queen was not as evil as she was made out to be and she was making amends for all the wrongs she and her mother brought to them. People were also excited to finally see the famed 'Savior'.

Emma was a bit embarrassed by all the fanfare and she was quick to point out that she didn't break the Dark Curse alone; she had a lot of help from Regina…and their son.

"Everyone is invited to a ball at my castle at the end of the week!" Maurice announced and the crowd began to cheer remembering how enjoyable his previous balls were.

The castle itself was in good condition to Maurice's delight. There was some cleaning that needed to be done and everyone pitched in to help the servants. They were still surprised that the family decided to return to the Forest when they had a much better life on the other side. Rumple explained that they would all only be there for part of the year so their children would see both worlds.

They were all exhausted after their long carriage and horse rides and decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. It was a peaceful day until the next morning.

Rumple and Archie decided they would give the castle's chef Arnaud a rest by preparing the family's meals themselves but when they went into the kitchen to tell him, they got quite an unpleasant reception.

"Zis is MY kitchen and I'll be the only one cooking in it!" Arnaud began throwing pots and pans at the men. Archie took cover under the table.

"Will you calm down dearie! We're just asking to cook in here once in a while!" Rumple cried.

"No! You get out…both of you! GET!"

"Throw one more pan at me and you'll be the one getting...turned into something that crawls on its belly!" Rumple said angrily.

"Or you'll have another hole where you didn't before when I take my umbrella to you," Archie added. "Good gods man, we're just trying to give you a rest once in a while not put you out to pasture!"

"What does ZAT mean?" demanded the infuriated man, throwing a soup bowl that barely missed Archie's head.

Marie laughed from the other side of the door. "How did I know he was going to use that line?"

"Don't tell me, it's something from McLintock?" Belle asked her.

"Yes….when GW retired his cook Ching and replaced him with Mrs. Warren."

The two women walked into the kitchen and the chef glared at them. "Zese husbands of yours think they can just come in and take over MY kitchen, they can think again!"

"Arnaud, you know we love your cooking but you DO need a rest," Belle insisted. "Rumple and Archie are great cooks and they won't leave your kitchen a mess."

"Or at least let them help you out," Marie suggested.

"You know how to cook...you prove it!" the cook yelled.

The brothers-in-law looked at each other and grinned. "Shall we?"

The chef took one of his recipe books down from a shelf and slammed it down on the table, opening it to the middle. "You cook this...without any hocus pocus, magician!" he challenged Rumple.

"What's all the racket?" Bae asked sleepily when he walked into the kitchen holding Adriana.

"I'll cook zis too and if it is better than yours...you stay OUT of my kitchen!" the chef went on.

"Oh? And who judges, might I ask?" inquired Archie.

Bae started laughing. "A cooking duel? You're kidding, right?"

"No, he's not," Belle said. "All right, Arnaud...we'll have the castle staff judge and if they say Rumple and Archie's is better you agree to let them help you out or you let them cook once in a while. Agreed?"

"They won't dare choose these two...amateurs over me!"

"Amateurs? Oh, you will be eating those words, dearie," Rumple giggled.

The chef snorted. "I think not!"

Word spread quickly that Arnaud the castle chef challenged the Bordreaux women's husbands to a culinary duel and the castle staff was convinced the chef would win while their family and circle of friends knew they could give the chef a run for his money.

The baby, now that she was in the kitchen, wanted to stay there.

"No! No! No children in the kitchen!" protested Arnaud. The baby wailed and the kitchen door swung open and in marched the stuffed bear army. They jumped onto the counters and started taking items out of the cupboards and threw them.

"Adriana! Dearie, enough of that!" Rumple said sternly.

He snapped his fingers and the bears were frozen.

"That child is wicked!"

"You'd better watch what you say about my baby, Arnaud, or I'll take the broom to you!" Belle said angrily. "She's not wicked."

"The hell she's not!"

Suddenly a broom flew out of the closet and swatted the chef across the backside hard.

Bae howled with laughter. "Not even a year old and she can already give a beatdown!"

"No more, Adriana," Rumple ordered his daughter. She blew a raspberry and gave him a Look.

"You may as well let her in here, mister or she's gonna make you miserable," Bae cautioned.

"Fine! She stays but THOSE go!" he pointed at the frozen bears.

Rumple sent the bears back to the nursery and summoned Adriana's bassinet to the kitchen. Belle and Marie sat in the corner with the baby while they watched their husbands cook together as they did every Sunday night back in Storybrooke.

"I am getting my husband into a pair of leather pants before we leave here," Marie murmured. "He's resisting me on it...so I'll just have to be a bit sneaky..."

Belle giggled. "Just say the word sister dear and Rumple will magic them on him faster than he can blink."

"What are you two plotting back there?" inquired Archie.

"Nothing..." Marie sang.

He shook his head. "It's never nothing when she has that look on her face," he muttered to Rumple.

"It's the same with Belle, dearie. You have to keep a sharp eye on these Bordreaux women. Never know what they'll hit you with next."

Arnaud scowled. "You two are a menace in my kitchen. Did zey tell you what zey did to one of my dinners?"

Rumple chuckled. "Recently, though I'm not surprised with my wife. She terrified my enchanted stove so much it flew out the window."

"I've been giving mine cooking lessons," Archie explained.

"Need a lot of them, zey do..." Arnaud snorted.

"What are you making anyway?" Belle asked.

"Chicken Cordon Bleu," Rumple replied.

"And no one makes it like ME!" Arnaud boasted.

"He thinks," Marie whispered to Belle. "Our boys' Cordon Bleu is like chocolate...sinfully delicious..."

"As are our boys..." Belle murmured.

It was getting difficult for the husbands to concentrate when their wives were eyeing them like steaks they wanted to devour, not that they wouldn't welcome it...later.

Both chicken dishes were now ready to put in the oven. In the dining room the staff members were nearly salivating to the scents coming from the kitchen as were Rumple and Archie's friends and family.

Each dinner guest was given a plate of Chicken Cordon Bleu one piece from Arnaud, the other Archie and Rumple made together. Although Arnaud's was delicious, the in-laws family and friends still preferred theirs. Once all the staff members were finished eating they set down their forks.

"Well?" demanded the castle chef.

"You better make some room in your kitchen, Arnaud," spoke up Toulouse, one of the stable hands.

"This is divine!" agreed Babette, a laundress.

The chef let loose a string of curses.

"Hey, watch the mouth...there's little kids here!" Bae cried. "Papa, give him the Ivory!"

Rumple snapped his fingers and a bar of soap appeared in the chef's mouth.

The children giggled to see an adult get treated like they did when they had potty mouths.

Once the soap vanished Arnaud ran into the kitchen to wash out the awful taste.

After dinner the group gathered in the old war room that Rumple, Emma and Regina converted into a large family room with their magic.

"Let's do something fun," suggested Snow.

"Such as?" asked Regina, hoping that it wasn't something dumb. Sometimes Snow could be a little corny.

Until Belle said, "I know! Let's play telephone . . .you remember how, dont you, Marie? And Rumple, Bae, me, and the furniture used to play it back in the Dark Castle, which needs a new name . . .how about it?"

"Oh now I remember, Belle! I loved that game!" Marie exclaimed.

"Me too! It was fun playing it when you were sick in bed, Mama," Bae laughed. "And no one ever got the first sentence right at the end . . ."

"Is this sort of like a rumor mill or grapevine?" inquired Archie.

"Ooh yes I heard it through the grapevinnneeee," sang Becky.

"Here's how it works, dearie." Rumple instructed. "Someone starts with a sentence and then passes it to the next person by whispering it in their ear, then that person passes it to the next person and so on till you get to the last person who has to repeat the sentence aloud . . . and see what they say . . . "

Emma grinned. "I might like this..."

"Everyone sit in a circle and Belle, you start," Rumple said, sitting beside his wife."

They all arranged themselves in a circle, with the last person being Marie.

Belle then leaned over and whispered in Rumple's ear, "Once there was a little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead and when she was good she was very very good and when she was bad she was horrid."

Rumple repeated the sentence to Bae, who was sort of distracted by Andi, and he repeated, "Once there was a little girl with a cut in the middle of her forehead and when she was good she was very very good, but when she was bad she was terrible."

Andi repeated the sentence to Becky, and since Bae mumbled heard, "Once there was a little girl with a spot in the middle of her forehead and when things were going good they were great and when they weren't she had a tantrum."

Becky had a bit of trouble remembering what she was hearing and when her came to whisper it Ewan it came out like this: "Once there was a little girl with a hole in her forehead and when things were going good they were too good and when they weren't she threw a fit.'

Ewan heard, "Once a little girl held her forehead because something hit her cause some idiot threw something at it."

When he whispered to Bobby he started laughing.

"What hell did you say, bro?" Bobby frowned. He tried to figure out what it was and got, "One day a little girl fell and hit her head and became an idiot, too bad."

Now it was his turn to tell it to Kat.

She went and told Jeff, who was barely paying  
attention and he told Emma, "One day a girl went mad and chopped off somebody's head and stuck it on a spit."

Emma stared at him. "You sure about that, Hatter? That's gross!"

"It's what I heard," he argued.

"Okay," she told Regina what Jeff had said, but said, "One day a girl went mad and chopped off somebody's head."

She had a cold so Regina couldn't really understand her when she whispered and heard, "A sad girl chopped apart a loaf of bread."

Regina's eyebrow arched curiously. "Emma, are you pulling my leg?"

Jason was next and he was so excited he forgot half of what his mommy said. He whispered to Roland, "A bad girl ate some bread and fell outta bed."

Roland cracked up and giggled to Gisella, "A girl ate some bad bread and got sick an' had to stay in bed."

Gisella heard, "A boy n'girl got sick and threw up bread in their bed. Eww!"

Archie sneezed as Gisella whispered to him and heard, "A boy and girl dropped dead."

He passed it on to Snow who repeated it to David, who was busy smirking at his wife and all he heard was, "A boy and a girl got it on in bed."

Maurice was snoozing by the time David whispered in his ear and what he heard was, "Two boys and a girl had a hot time in bed!"

He goggled at David. "That can't be right!"

"It is too!"

Maurice scowled, then he muttered to Marie, "Two boys and a girl had a hot time in bed."

Marie dropped the cup of tea she was holding.

"Papa!"

She was blushing.

"I...I can't say that out loud!"

"You have to, Marie. That's the rules," Belle reminded her.

Marie gasped. "Papa!" Then she said, "These boys said a girl was hot in bed!"

"Marie!" Archie cried.

Belle gasped. "Marie! That's not what I said! I said: Once there was a girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead and when she was good she was very very good and when she was bad she was horrid!"

"So what do we do now?" Emma asked.

"I for one would like to know how long were you two going to wait until you told us the big news, Archie?" Regina asked her friend. "When she had the baby?"

"Well...ahhhh...we'd just gotten back and everyone was excited about coming here...so we were going to give it a few days..."

"What I want to know is if another manhood intervention is in order?" demanded Jeff.

"You can just forget it Hatter!" snapped Archie. "Yes, I do have Couvade Syndrome!"

The other men started laughing. The women were smiling.

"Better watch out, Hatter. You could be next!" Regina smirked.

"Oh I would love to see that!" sang Belle.

"So would I," agreed Marie.

"No way in hell, Gina. Besides Em's not pregnant."

"Ummm...Jeff…honey..," Emma began nervously.

"You…you're not...?"

"I was gonna tell you..."

David glared at the portal jumper. "And THIS time you're marrying her because I'll be there with a shotgun to make sure you do!"

Jeff looked shell shocked.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" asked Snow, frowning.

" Umm . . . that's great, honey!" Jeff stammered, trying to recover. "When shall we set a date?"

"Sooner the better," David growled.

Henry facepalmed himself. "Dad! You gotta PROPOSE first!" He looked at Bae. "Sometimes he's clueless and I gotta remind him about things like that."

Bae started giggling. "Umm .. yeah sometimes they are."

Rumple craned his head and glared at his son. "Baelfire, do you need to get reacquainted with a mop and bucket of soapy water when we get home?"

"Papa! M'just saying!"

"Well Regina, I guess we better tell 'em our news too," said Robin.

"Good news or bad news?" Rumple asked.

"Well, we were going to get married first but I won't be able to hide my condition either if we wait too long."

"Regina! Are you?" Belle asked hopefully knowing how much the other woman wanted a baby.

"I realized it last night…"

"Whoa! It's like a baby boom!" Bae exclaimed. "Why?"

"They're not the only ones and I think I know why." said Snow. She looked at Archie. "And if I'm right he's the reason why."

"What did I do?" he asked worriedly.

"Would one of you explain since he isn't aware of what he did?" Snow asked Regina and Rumple.

"You broke the second curse, Archie and one of its effects was infertility on all of us but I deflected it from me and Belle and for some odd reason Jeff escaped it too since Emma DID have Henry...however…you were all separated. And once all those targeted were reunited with their true loves and the curse broken…all of them would be blessed with a child...starting with the last victim who had one special trait the others didn't." Rumple smirked at the other men. "NOW tell me there's something wrong with a man who chooses to be chaste until his wedding night!"

Archie was stunned….until another memory came rushing back…his last conversation with Regina in the Enchanted Forest.

_"We have to try to get into that vault one more time," he said firmly._

_"Jiminy, it's too dangerous! Look what she did to you the last time we tried. And now that she knows about your Marie, she will use her against you."_

_"I can't give up…WE can't give up! Not now. Not when there's too much at stake. Regina, please…I love her…I can't bear the thought of living a life without her!"_

_"Is she worth dying for because that is what will happen if we're caught."_

_"YES!"_

_"I'm sorry Jiminy…I can't…all I can do is give you your best chance." Her hands sparkled with magic. The cricket felt himself floating in the air._

_"Regina, don't do this!"_

_"I have to! You'll find her again, Jiminy, I promise you will."_

_"You have to stop this! You're the only one who can now!"_

_"I wish I was strong enough to stop it…I'm just not…" sobbed the queen. Then she stood up. "A pure spirit that knows true love can break any curse….the Dark Curse is meant for the savior to break but the Curse of the Broken Hearted…you can break. You're the only one who can now."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Find Marie in the new land! Once you bind yourself to her heart and soul in marriage…you'll be free…we all will…" she said through her tears. "Goodbye Jiminy…and thank you for being my friend…even if it was for a brief time…." _

"Unbelievable." Jeff muttered.

Rumple glanced over at Robin. "I'll be making certain YOU make an honest woman of Regina, Hood, with a shotgun of my own...or a crossbow."

"Shotgun weddings!" Becky cackled.

Maurice laughed. "Thank the gods I didn't have to do that!"

"Well since you guys are so hell bent on holding guns to our men, why don't we just do a shotgun themed wedding...the men can wear hunting clothes and everything?" Emma suggested.

The father of one bride to be and the one who wished he had been the father of the other liked that idea.

"I've got something even better...Emma, why don't we have your wedding in Storybook and Robin and I can have ours here in Sherwood Forest?" Regina suggested.

"We could do that...you one day me the next."

There was much to celebrate...future weddings and upcoming births.

The following morning Regina suggested they all go riding. Those who knew how would teach the others.

Of all of them Archie was the most reluctant to learn how having almost been mowed down by his own wife on horseback.

"Oh don't be such a chicken, Uncle Archie!" Bae teased.

Archie glared at him.

"Bae, I remember when I had to bribe you to get on a horse," Andi reminded him. "You were sure you were gonna fall off and break your neck. Or have you forgotten?"

"Ummmm...yeah..."

"Well I'm not going," Archie said stubbornly.

"Should we tie him up?" Bae asked.

"Come on, Archie," Rumple encouraged, sitting on his own stately chestnut mare. "You can learn how to ride just like the Duke. Don't you want to be like your idol John Wayne?"

Marie smiled. "I'd like that..."

"Oh, all right!" he sighed. He didn't particularly care for being alone at the castle anyway.

"Rumple, would you mind giving my husband a wardrobe change?" Marie asked Rumple.

"Not at all," Rumple smirked. "Now, in order to ride properly . . you have to dress right." And he gestured and Archie was attired in a pair of leather pants and a flowing green shirt. "There!"

Marie sauntered up to her husband. "Now that is more like it..."

He thought he looked silly.

"And your backside will thank me later," Rumple chuckled. "Trust me."

"I'm thanking you," Marie murmured and swatted her husband's backside. He looked wonderful in leather…she was going to enjoy taking it off later.

"Marie!"

"Come on, darling."

"You can take it slow, Hopper," Rumple said. "This is Marshmallow," he held the reins of a calm sleepy light gray dappled horse. "He's an old campaigner."

"Okay but he better not throw me."

"He won't," Rumple assured him. "He's a schooling horse. Means he's as calm as his name."

"You'll do fine," Marie encouraged.

Marshmallow hardly batted an eye when Archie mounted him, just snorted sleepily.

"See...he likes you," Belle said.

"Tap him a bit with your heels," instructed Rumple.

"Easy Archie...too hard and he'll bolt..." Marie said.

But Marshmallow just ambled along, in his sleepy fashion. Rumple suspected the only way the sedentary horse would get excited was when he heard food being poured into his feed bin.

"He's a quiet fellow. I like it."

Marshmallow flicked an ear back and shook his head, content to walk alongside his herdmates.

"We'll be indisposed once we get back to the castle," Marie whispered to Belle as she stared at her husband.

Belle winked at her.

As they processed through Avonlea's rolling meadows and hills, Belle recognized a few familiar landmarks.

"Belle, are we close to the lake?" asked Marie.

"Yes. I recognize the pointed rock over there," she answered.

She urged her brown gelding, Swallow, into a trot.

Rumple followed. "Is this where you were told you'd see your true love, dearie?"

"No, where we wished for it."

"Your wish came true," he murmured.

"And so did mine..." whispered Marie.

The two couples dismounted from their horses and walked to the edge of the lake, each woman holding the hand of her spouse.

"Ninia, for true love I wished from thee, to this spot I return to ask you to bestow your blessing upon me," they chanted.

Rumple could feel the ancient magic in this place . . . a magic as old as the land itself, and as powerful. It made his bones hum with its power.

A woman with silvery blond hair poked her head out from beneath the water.

"Welcome Rumplestiltskin," she said in an angelic voice.

Rumple recognized her as a naiad, an ancient being, a river spirit. "Lady of the Water, I greet thee," he said softly.

She rose to her full height and bowed. "Much you have overcome and now you have seized your destiny and become the true Guardian of Light."

He coughed. "Me . ..the Guardian? But . . .I was the Dark One!"

"The true Guardian is one who maintains the balance between darkness and light...by walking both paths as you have."

"I . . never knew that," he murmured, recognizing the truth in that statement. And an Elemental such as she was did not lie . . they were incapable of it.

She glanced over at Belle. "And you could not have chosen a more perfect mate...one who can see the beauty beneath the surface."

"Actually, she chose me," Rumple admitted. "She saw the man trapped by a desperate decision, turned into a beast by a curse."

"Yet still maintaining enough of his humanity to subdue the demon."

He inclined his head. "Bae and Belle . . they anchored me to it. They were the lost pieces of my heart."

She smiled. "Belle, the blessing I bestow upon you is this..."

She waved her hand and the other woman's body glowed with a bright white light. "Miracles can happen more than once my dear...if that is your wish."

Belle's eyes widened as she realized what the Elemental spirit was implying. So did Rumple.

"There is no greater symbol of true love than a child conceived from it."

"Aye, that's so, dearie."

"Thank you..." Belle wept.

Rumple hugged her. "Your kindness is greatly appreciated, lady."

In the olden times, one of the greatest blessings an Elemental could bestow upon a human was fertility, the very thing they themselves possessed little of as they were nearly immortal.

She now turned to Archie and Marie. "Your own journey to happiness has been a painful one yet through the love you have for each other and others have for you, you have conquered it all."

Her eyes lowered to Marie's belly. "The one blessing I could have given you, you are already carrying. So I give you this..."

She waved her hand over the couple. "A magician's life force burns longer than that of mere mortals...and now yours will last as long as those of Belle and Rumplestiltskin."

"What...?" Archie gasped.

"W...What did she do, Rumple?" Marie asked him

"She has given you both the lifespan of a sorcerer," he replied. "Which is centuries instead of a hundred years."

"And this blessing extends to all of those in your bloodline," added the Elemental.

Belle threw her arms around her sister. "That was the one thing I was so afraid of...outliving you..."

"So that means we've got a few centuries to drive each other crazy?" Archie asked with a grin.

"Yes, you do." Rumple chuckled.

"Family is forever," said the goddess.

And this family had the strongest bond she'd ever seen.

"I must be going...but I hope to see all of you again soon...and with more little ones."

Rumple waved and said, "Next time we'll bring our wee ones with us."

She smiled. There would be three more additions for Rumple and Belle and two for Archie and Marie for they too had been given the fertility blessing.

"I...I still can't believe it...all of us...living that long!" Marie exclaimed.

"Together," Belle said softly.

"You can spend many lifetimes mastering different skills so you don't become bored," Rumple said.

"All I know how to do is dance...and other things..." Marie said, grinning at her husband.

"Well, now you can take the time to learn other things," Rumple said. "I was a poor spinner, but as the Dark One I taught myself how to read better and write legibly, and also educated myself about the laws of each kingdom. Why do you think Regina made me an attorney when we were cursed?"

"And Marie, THAT is for nighttime..." Archie murmured.

Belle giggled. "You never get out of the honeymoon phase."

"No . . not really . . ." Rumple acknowledged.

"So we can learn new things during the day and drag you off to bed at night. Nothing wrong with that," Marie chuckled.

"I can just hear Bae now...rabbits," Belle laughed.

"Yes . . .or turtledoves."

Belle linked her arm through her husband's. "Let's go...our children are waiting for us."

"Yes, dearie. They are."

They rode back to the castle, Marie racing ahead of her husband once they approached the stables. Archie dismounted from his horse and led him back toward the stables, wondering where his wife had gotten to, becoming more concerned when he heard thunder and looked up to see the sky turning dark. They were in for one hell of a storm.

"Marie!" he called out, a terrified scream the response he received. He ran into the stables and found his wife huddled in a corner sobbing. His first thought was something was happening to the baby. He rushed to her side. "Darling…what is it?"

She was gasping for air and shaking, in the midst of another anxiety attack. "He….pushed me up against the wall…and…he…"

_Oh gods, how could I have forgotten, _he thought.

"Marie, darling…look at me…_look at me_!" he cried frantically and cupped her face in his hands. "He's dead. He can't hurt you anymore. Breathe...that's it..." He stroked her back gently as she struggled to get her breathing back under control.

"I'm sorry Archie! We were having such a wonderful day and I ruined it..." she moaned.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I should've expected you to have an episode after not being here for so long and I want to slap myself silly for forgetting." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close and she closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. No matter how terrifying her flashbacks were or her nightmares, having his arms around her, his eyes looking into hers or hearing his calming voice was enough to make her feel safe again. The storm raged on outside but she barely heard it. After Gaston's assault she lay there alone, trying as best she could to preserve what modesty she still had left with her torn clothing while he sauntered off to the village to celebrate his victory with ale not knowing that nine months later the child she bore would be nothing like him and that suited her fine.

Now she'd returned to the place of her humiliation only this time she was not alone and carrying a child again, created in love with the man who held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. On their wedding night and nearly every night after he gave back to her what was taken from her that stormy night so long ago...belief that there was a man who would not see her as ruined, damaged and show her how wonderful love could be.

Archie was grateful the bastard was dead, killed in the prison yard after making the mistake of bragging about what he'd done to Marie to a man serving a prison term for dispensing his own justice on the man who raped and murdered his mother. Emma told him about it shortly before their return to the Forest and he was planning on telling Marie but he wanted to wait until the time was right.

"What do you mean he's dead, Archie?"

"He is. He signed his death warrant with his inflated ego."

"How?"

"The bastard had the gall to brag about what he did to you...to the wrong person...Kamil Cotter."

"That boy who killed the man who raped his mother?" The couple read about the Boston rape/murder case and the controversy surrounding it with many calling it justifiable homicide while others felt the boy was wrong to take the law into his own hands. Archie, having been in the same situation, had mixed feelings about it. The Cotter woman had been a dancer like Marie and the defense attorney launched a smear campaign against her in court, managing to secure a not guilty verdict that sparked the boy's rage. The mangled body of his mother's attacker was found two days later in a dumpster. He understood the boy's need to make the rapist suffer as his mother did but he wouldn't have gone as far as the Cotter boy did.

As he had the day he killed his mother's rapist, Kamil Cotter pummeled the former knight and stockbroker with his fists and it took six guards to pull the enraged nineteen year off Gaston but he was already close to death from internal injuries.

He nodded. "I was going to tell you about but we had so much going on that I forgot."

"It's all right. We'll…have to tell Gisella eventually….but she disowned him long ago. We should go back inside before everyone starts worrying."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm just a bit tired."

He took her hand and helped her to her feet then picked her up and carried her back to the castle. As they were walking past the dining room Belle jumped out of her chair and ran out into the hall.

"Marie! What happened, Archie? Did she fall? Is the baby all right?"

"No, no…she's just tired, that's all," he said quickly.

Belle eyed them suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine Belle!" Marie protested from her husband's arms and closed her eyes. "Archie, let's go up to bed."

"We'll see you at the ball later," he assured the other couple.

Marie had fallen asleep by the time they returned to their suite. She awoke long enough to change into her nightgown and slipped back into bed, curling up beside her husband.

"…Heyyy Mommy! Daddy! You better wake up or you're gonna be late for the ball!" Gisella cried, pounding on their door later on.

"Oh no!" Marie cried. "Archie….baby…we have to get dressed!"

"Hmmm…what?" he asked sleepily.

"Are you in there making out again?" Gisella yelled. "Do it later! Grandpa's gonna get mad if you're late!"

"Gisella!" Marie cried.

"We're getting up!" Archie groaned.

Marie's floor length gown was a deep shade of forest green silk with the Bordreaux rose and the Hopper cricket emblem sewn into the bodice with Rumple's own golden thread. Her husband was wearing a shirt the same shade of forest green as her gown with a black suede vest and pants. He linked his arm through hers. When they were in the ballroom Archie faced his wife and bowed. "May I have this dance, my lady?" he asked softly.

Marie smiled and curtseyed. "You may have all my dances, kind sir."

At that moment Archie reminded himself how lucky he was. Were he still under the iron control of his con artist parents he never would've been invited to a ball like this, never met his goddess, never became a father to her child or father his own child. He took his wife's hand and pulled her close, grateful Andi taught him how to waltz. At first Bae didn't think he'd need to learn it but she insisted and now he moved across the floor with his goddess like he'd been dancing with her for years.

"Would you be upset if we left the ball a bit….early?" she asked him.

"Are you tired, darling?"

"No. I just want to be alone with you…"

They danced several more dances and made their excuses to the rest of the family then returned to their suite.

"How can you breathe in this damned thing?" Archie complained. His wife's corset had more laces than a pair of shoes, wishing he had a knife to cut them off.

"We don't…" Marie sighed.

"Well…you're not wearing it again," he said when he untied the last two laces and pulled it off. "In fact…." He sat up and threw the garment into the fireplace. "Tomorrow morning you can just throw all of them in there."

She giggled while she watched it being reduced to ashes. "I can't believe you just burned my corset! Will you be burning my bras next?"

"That thing is not a corset…it's a torture device and if you wear one that looks like that, yes! Now, where were we…?" he inquired huskily.

"Right here…" she whispered and put his hands on her waist. "Still have too many layers on…"

He groaned. "This could take all night…why couldn't we just wear our modern clothes to the ball?"

"Need a little help?" she teased.

"I think I can manage…"

That day she'd faced her worst nightmare again and slammed the door on it and all she wanted to do now was celebrate her victory with the man she loved. She knew as she came closer to her due date and started to show more they would not have many more nights like this where they could make love so passionately all through the night so she wanted to make this one last as long as she could.

Archie was walking back to the castle from the market the following day when he spotted a group of men led by Jeff Hatter approaching him, two of them David and Robin. He smirked. If they thought they were going to try their little manhood intervention on him, they had another thing coming. He froze to the spot and waited.

"Jeff….guys….what's going on?" he asked nonchalantly.

"We need to have a man to man talk Archie," Jeff said.

"Can it wait? I need to be getting back and…"

"He's just as bad as the OTHER one!" grouched Little John.

"Nah, Rumple was WORSE but dammit….it's becoming an epidemic!"

Archie cocked his head to one side and smiled. "You ever wonder who tipped the women off to where you were taking Rumple that night?"

"He didn't…?!"

"Traitor to his gender!"

He laughed. "I was walking ahead of them and saw the direction you were heading and as luck would have it…I had an inside woman who was more than happy to do me a favor. Guess it never crossed your minds it happened to be the same one you dwarves set me up with before that. Though I do owe you a debt of gratitude. Your little stunt that night finally gave me the courage to ask Marie out. I guess you won't be underestimating this cricket again, will you gentlemen?"

"Oh he's got it coming! I say we give him a double dose of the works!"

"Yeah….taken down by one of our OWN! We gotta teach him a lesson you don't betray your brothers, right boys?"

"Right!"

Archie shook his head. "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," he chuckled. "And it's getting to be ri-goddam-diculous!"

"Get him!"

As they rushed forward the diamond cricket and rose stone on his wedding ring glowed, sending a powerful energy blast at the group, throwing them to the ground.

"What the hell?"

"Oh shit! It's RUMPLE!"

"I DON'T SEE HIM!"

Archie held up his hand, the stone on his ring still glowing. "Just one of the perks of having a sorcerer for a brother-in-law. He enchanted our wedding rings with protection spells in case someone was stupid enough to try to attack us while we were on our honeymoon but he never removed them." He scowled at the crowd. "Oh...and did I mention it has a summoning spell in it too?"

A cloud of purple smoke appeared.

"We...are...DEAD!"

"Well, well, what do we have here, Archie? A collection of idiots who seem to have forgotten their lessons." Rumple giggled mischievously.

"I'll leave you all to discuss this..." Archie said with an amused grin.

Rumple glared out at the crowd. "Who wants to go first?"

The men scattered like rats.

"Awww dammit and I wanted to hang them by their feet from the lampposts!" the sorcerer whined.

"Oh don't worry...there's enough stupidity in those brains that you'll get your chance soon enough. C'mon...we've got a family at home wanting fed."

The two of them vanished in a puff of smoke and the Concerned Men of Storybrooke were foiled again.

**_Months later…._**

Marie was in the living room resting on the sofa when she heard shouting behind the closed doors of her husband's office while he was conducting a marriage counseling session with Becky's parents. She sighed. He'd been counseling them for three months and made no progress whatsoever. The couple shouted at each other the entire time and her poor husband, who was already suffering enough with Couvade Syndrome, was at his wit's end. She knew sooner or later he was going to snap and let them have it.

"The only thing HE thinks about is sex….One…one…that's what he tells me every night! Even the kids know what that means! Eleven o'clock and he wants it…but I don't!"

"You never do anymore…you've got me sleeping on the couch!"

"At least then I don't have to worry about you trying to paw me every five minutes. You want it that bad; you get it from that bitch you're screwing down at the diner that you think I don't know about and…."

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST GET A GODDAM DIVORCE?!" Archie yelled, stunning the couple into silence. "Three months…_three months_ and you've done nothing but scream at each other through every session we've had! You don't listen to a word I say…half the time I can't even GET a word in. Neither of you has any desire to reconcile since there's a lack of intimacy in the marriage, infidelity and the obvious lack of communication." He got out of his recliner and paced the room as he tried to cool his temper. "Intimacy and communication are the two most important things in a marriage and once that breaks down….you either try to work it out…or go your separate ways. When you first came here you were acting like you wanted to make an effort to work things out but sitting here shouting my walls down like banshees instead of sitting down and _talking_ about it…_calmly_…is not making an effort to work it out. My suggestion is that you file for divorce and go your separate ways and maybe, just _maybe_…one day you can actually sit down and _talk _to each other like rational human beings!"

"He's right…" Marilyn said softly.

"Yeah….he is…" her husband agreed.

"There! That wasn't so hard, was it? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom and get an aspirin for my headache!" Archie grumbled. This was one of the worst Couvade Syndrome symptom days he'd had in weeks. His feet were swollen twice their size even making his Dalmatian slippers feel too tight and the only slippers he could wear that were comfortable were a pair Jeff bought him for his birthday that had 'Old Fart' written on them that made him want to toss the portal jumper into his own hat and send him Antarctica. Making matters worse, the damned slippers sounded like a whoopee cushion when he walked until he took care of that with a pair of scissors and as if that weren't bad enough, the only pants that were comfortable on him were the ones that were included with the slippers that said: 'Old Fart, formerly known as Stud Muffin'.

He couldn't wait to see the reaction Hatter got if he dared to present those to Rumple on _his_ birthday since he _was _over the hill...many times over!

He now knew that when a gift had Emma, Hatter, Robin and Regina's names on it that you had to expect it to be something outrageous...he just hadn't counted on what he did find in the huge box that could've fit a big screen TV.

"C'mon Daddy, open it!" Gisella cried excitedly.

He also should have known it would all go downhill the moment he looked at the card attached that said: Happy Birthday You Old Fart!

"Oh come on!" he cried. The four culprits started laughing.

Even Rumple was giggling.

"Hah! You're older than me! You should be getting this!" Archie said to him.

"But I didn't, did I dearie?" Rumple chuckled.

He opened the box and found an assortment of 'Old Fart' items including the slippers, the pants, an apron that said "Grumpy Old Fart' and a parking sign that said "Reserved for the Old Fart'.

"We're making a tradition: every year for your birthday or Christmas, you all get gag gifts from us...and Archie, you're the first," Emma announced.

"Oh I feel so honored," he groaned.

"You have to admit baby...it is funny," Marie said.

"The Christmas gifts ought to be...interesting..." mused Rumple with a smirk.

"God help us all!" Archie muttered.

A few days later they both awoke in pain in their abdomens and lower backs.

"Baby…..I think it's time…." Marie moaned.

"What?! Are you sure?"

"I'm sure….need to get to the hospital…."

"Mary!" Archie bellowed. The housekeeper ran into the bedroom.

"Oh my….it's time! I'll get her suitcase packed, Archie and help her get dressed. Come on, Marie."

They staggered down the steps like drunks on a week-long binge. Archie grabbed the car keys off the wall, determined to drive his wife to the hospital himself until another pain brought him to his knees.

"Sella…." he panted. "Call….Uncle Rumple…"

"Okay Daddy!" She grabbed the cordless phone and punched in the Golds' number. Rumple answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Uncle Rumple? Mommy's having the baby an Daddy was gonna try to drive her to the hospital but…" Gisella trailed off.

"I can barely stand up!" Archie moaned and took the phone from his daughter. "Rumple…this is awful…."

"You don't have to tell me, dearie. I lived it…remember? Sit tight…we're on our way."

"A…are they coming…" Marie panted.

"Y…yes…was it…this bad…with Sella?"

"No….this is…worse…oh God….Archie…here comes another one…"

"I…hope…to hell…Rumple brings…wheelchairs or something because…don't think….we'll be able to….walk out to the car! Ohhh gods I feel like my insides are being ripped out!"

"Try…taking…your bottom lip…and pulling it over your…head…THAT'S what it really feels like!" Marie grunted.

"I have Marie's bag ready Archie," Mary said as she came into the living room.

"Good….can you….call Mina and Jack….tell them….need to take over…my schedule for a few weeks….and have…Jane fill in at the office…?"

"Of course."

"Rumple...for the love of the gods...hurry up because I am not delivering this baby myself!" Archie grouched and hung up.

The couple staggered back to the couch while they waited, keeping an eye on the clock.

"Archie...here comes…another one..."

"Rumple, dammit...what the hell is taking so long...it'll be Christmas by the time you get here!" he grouched.

"Daddy he's comin!" said Gisella, hating when her parents were cranky.

"So's Christmas!" Archie barked.

No sooner had the words left his mouth then Rumple's Cadillac pulled up.

Gisella ran to the door. "You better get in here, Uncle Rumple cause Daddy's really getting cranky an so is Mommy."

"I remember the feeling," Rumple said. "C'mon, you two let's get you in the car. Archie, put your arm around me and just breathe . . .Belle, help Marie."

"Come on, Marie..." Belle said gently.

"Worse...than with Sella..."

With Rumple and Belle's assistance, they managed to get into the Caddy and drive the short distance to the hospital.

The staff was ready for them when they arrived; rushing the expecting couple to the delivery room and getting them changed.

"I'm worried a bit, Rumple...This baby is a bit bigger than Sella was," Belle confessed to her husband while they waited.

"Dr. Jo will know if they need to do a C-section, sweetheart," he soothed her. "Or she can help things along with her magic."

Belle was pacing the floor of the waiting room nervously, recalling that night years ago when her sister gave birth to her first child in Avonlea castle.

"Let it be easy this time..." she prayed aloud.

Rumple looked at her, concerned. "I take it that it wasn't the case the first time?"

"No...oh Rumple...Marie had an awful time with Gisella...she was in labor twelve hours...!"

"Good heavens! Was there no midwife to help?"

"Oh she was there but she spent most of her time calling my sister a whore and asking her if the pleasure she had was worth the trouble."

"What? I would have thrown her out on her ear!" Rumple exclaimed angrily. "That was none of her business. Her business was to deliver children!"

"Papa wanted to...but there was a terrible storm that night and no one else could deliver the baby. Oh gods...I can still hear her screaming!"

He hadn't been there when Bae was born, but he'd assumed from Milah's pithy comments that she had had a much easier time than Marie. "Hey, now, dearie. Don't dwell on it," he soothed going to hug her. "This time is different; she has all the advantages of modern medicine and a magical doctor who knows what the hell she's doing."

She lowered her head. "That night...I told myself I never wanted to go through that if I was going to have to marry Gaston."

"I wouldn't have either," Rumple grimaced.

She'd even considered having one of the potions brewed that prevented conception.

"And she has what she needed the most...the baby's father at her side."

"Yes, and thank the gods there's none of that ridiculous a man can't be with his wife when she's in labor traditional idiocy here," Rumple snorted. In their old land it had been almost forbidden for a husband to be in the same room as his wife when she was giving birth.

She brushed tears from her eyes. "She thought she was going to die...there'd been some tearing..."

Of course most men wouldn't have wanted to stay anyway, their bravery deserted them in the face of a woman's greatest mystery.

"Too bad she didn't have me there to heal her," he murmured. For some reason even as the Dark One he had still been able to use the white magic healing spells.

No other Dark One had ever been able to heal others the way he did, only themselves with their cursed bodies.

"Most of her pain was in her heart, Rumple."

"Yes, of course. It would be." Rumple said quietly. "It's a pity I didn't skin the bastard that day and hang him on the wall. I should've!"

"Now he's rotting in hell thank god and she has Archie...that's all she needed."

And this time her child had a father who would never abandon it the way Gaston abandoned Gisella.

"Oh gods….Marie….how long is this going to take!" Archie groaned as he stood beside her bed.

"I….oooohhh was in labor….twelve hours…with Sella….ooooh!" she panted.

"Twelve hours!" Archie gasped.

"Yes…oh….it was awful!"

She found herself recalling that night so many years ago. She'd been concealing her pregnancy from everyone by wearing her clothing as loose as she possibly could but her father suspected something was wrong and called her into his study. The terrified girl broke down and confessed that she'd been assaulted in the stables but refused to name Gaston as the culprit fearing her father wouldn't believe her.

"Please...I want to keep the child….it's part of me too…" she sobbed then sank to her knees in agony and intense pain.

"Papa!" Belle cried and rushed to Marie's side, cradling her lady-in-waiting and foster sister in her arms.

"My baby…!" Marie screamed, clutching her belly.

"JACQUES! Ride into the village and fetch the midwife! Quickly!" Maurice shouted and picked Marie up, carrying her upstairs to her suite.

"Papa, what is it? Is the baby coming?" Belle asked frantically.

"I believe so, darling. Marie, by the gods, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Was….ohhhhhh…afraid…..you would…think the worst of me…..I didn't give myself willingly….he forced himself on me…" she gasped.

"When I find the blackguard I'll mount his hide on my wall!" the lord snarled.

Marie was thankful she was in too much pain. It allowed her to forget the threat that hung over her head if she dared to name the man who violated her.

Jacques returned with the midwife. "Well, come on girl…let's get you changed," she said sharply. "A few minutes of pleasure is not worth the trouble now, is it whore?" she hissed.

"I'm not a whore!" Marie cried. "I don't want her here!" Can't we get someone else?"

"There is no one else," Maurice confessed sadly.

The midwife ordered Maurice and Belle to stay out of the room while she tended to Marie. The young mother would have been more comfortable with a wolf than the harpy. After three hours of hearing Marie scream in agony, Belle burst through the doors to her suite.

"Why isn't the baby coming?" she asked. The midwife glared at her.

"They don't just pop out right away you silly goose! Now keep quiet and let me do my work."

Belle wanted to wallop the harpy good with a broom…and she would…AFTER she did her job and delivered the baby. She sat by Marie's side offering her what little comfort she could and was even more determined to never go through such horror for the likes of Gaston Devereaux.

It was almost morning of the following day when Marie finally felt her baby move.

"I was afraid of this….it's turned wrong," the midwife muttered.

"W….what?" croaked the exhausted young mother.

"Babies normally come out head first…yours is trying to come out another way…we have to turn it…and with you being so young…" The midwife glared at her. "It's the gods' punishment for being so carefree with your favors!"

"I…told you…I was not….carefree with…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"We have to turn the baby around, fool!"

"Belle, make her stop!" Marie wailed.

"Stop it! You're hurting her!"

"I'm doing what needs to be done, now you just sit there and be silent!" snapped the midwife. "If we don't turn this child so that it comes out properly, she'll die!"

"Maybe it would be better if I did…." Marie sobbed.

"NO! I don't want to hear you say that again!" Belle cried.

"I'm ruined, Belle! Ruined!" No man will ever want me now!"

"I don't believe that for a second! There is a man out there somewhere who will love you and your child. Believe it, Marie!"

She was too exhausted to believe in anything anymore but a short time later, even after so much difficulty the gods blessed her with the one thing that gave her a reason to go on…a beautiful little girl she named Gisella in honor of her grandmother.

Once again she was about to give birth to a child but this time she would do so with the assistance of one of the finest healers in the realm but more importantly she had her child's father at her side every step of the way, feeling her pain as if it were his own.

"Dr. Jo, is something wrong? Why hasn't she had the baby yet?" Archie asked worriedly.

"Many babies take their time being born, Archie," she said softly.

"And it always hurts….this much?" He gasped when he felt another pain.

"It…hurts…worse…when it's…turned wrong…" Marie panted.

Dr. Jo frowned. "Gisella was a breech birth?"

"No….the midwife…got her…turned but….oh gods it hurt so much."

"Oh, I know it did honey," Jo said sympathetically.

"What's a breech birth?" Archie's mouth dropped open in shock and horror as the doctor explained the term to him and prayed to every god he knew that his wife would not have to suffer so much as she did the night their daughter was born.

"Marie, I'm going to need you to start pushing now. Go!"

Archie clasped her hand in his. "I'm right here, my goddess," he murmured.

Hearing his calming voice and feeling him beside her, his blue eyes gazing lovingly into hers created its own form of magical energy. She grunted and pushed.

"Good, Marie! Again! Are you ready? Go!" Jo ordered.

"You're doing great darling…you're doing great…" Archie encouraged.

"Oooooh gods….this is always the worst part!" Marie cried.

"Come on Marie, we're almost there…going to need you to push again," Dr. Jo instructed. "Go!"

"Augghhhh…" Marie groaned and pushed with every ounce of strength she had left, gripping Archie's hand in hers.

"One more, Marie….just one more…are you ready?"

Moments later they heard their baby's cry and it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Congratulations! You have a beautiful baby boy!" Dr. Jo announced after they placed the baby in Marie's arms. He was every inch his father's son with his blue eyes and a patch of red hair.

The new father gazed down at his son with tears in his eyes. Who would have thought he, the son of pickpocket con artist parents could win the heart of a goddess and create something so beautiful with her? "My boy….John Wayne Hopper…" he sobbed.

"He's beautiful, Archie…" Marie wept.

"So are you, my goddess," he whispered and kissed her.

_"…I'm ruined, Belle! Ruined!" No man will ever want me now!" _

_"I don't believe that for a second! There is a man out there somewhere who will love you and your child. Believe it, Marie!"_

Her own words and Belle's spoken the night Gisella was born came back to Marie once again as she held her son in her arms. How right Belle was…and how wrong _she'd_ been. She gazed up at her husband.

"I love you, Archie. I love you so much…." she sobbed. Oh how she wished it had been like this that first time with Gisella! Even though Gisella had been born from an act of violence, she was still as precious to her mother as little John Wayne Hopper…and his father had done what Belle assured her he would….he loved Gisella as if she _were _his child.

"You know I love you, my goddess." He kissed her again.

"Doctor Hopper, we'll need to take the baby for a bit," the nurse said and took the baby from his arms.

"Where are you going with my son? Is he all right?" Archie asked worriedly.

"I still have to deliver the afterbirth, darling…and they have to clean him and weigh and measure him." Marie said soothingly.

"The what?"

"Are you ready, Marie?" Jo asked her.

"Yes."

"What's that….oh gods!" Archie groaned when he looked and saw what it was. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the floor.

"Archie? Baby?" Marie cried.

"I was expecting him to pass out before that," the nurse chuckled.

Jo glared at him. "Put him in the other bed until he wakes up and check him over, make sure he doesn't have a concussion! Marie, he'll be fine."

She contented herself with holding their son. When she held the baby up and he saw his father passed out in the bed next to his mother's John Wayne Hopper decided to voice his displeasure and started screaming.

"Oh….someone has the Bordreaux temper doesn't he?" Marie giggled, kissing her baby's forehead. "I'm sorry sweetie…Daddy's still sleeping but he'll be awake soon…"

Hearing this seemed to calm the baby for the moment. John closed his eyes and curled his hand around his mother's finger.

Archie woke up ten minutes later. "W…What happened?"

"You fainted darling," Marie said softly. He crawled out of his bed and sat down beside hers. She handed him their son wrapped in a blanket. "And your son wasn't very happy you weren't awake to see him. He nearly screamed down the walls."

"It's all right, Jonny….Daddy's here now," Archie crooned. His son cooed at him and reached for his finger with his small hand, a smile so much like his own on his son's lips. "And I'm going to give you the childhood I never had…the one thing I always wanted…."

His son would have two parents and a sister who loved him, who would encourage him to be the best he could be in life, truly helping people instead of deceiving them and depriving them of their possessions.

_I'm going to be a better man, a better father, than you ever were Papa, one that my son would not be desperate to escape from, so desperate that he would make a mistake that he spends almost a century paying for! _

"I should…go tell Rumple and Belle…." he murmured, handing their son back to his wife.

"Go on. We'll be waiting when you get back, won't we sweetie," Marie cooed to their son. Archie smiled at them and walked out to the waiting room to find his in-laws.

"I have a son, Rumple!" he announced tearfully.

Belle jumped up and threw her arms around him. "That's wonderful, Archie! How is Marie? Is she okay?"

"She's tired but oh gods it was all worth it!"

"It always is dearie. So where's my nephew?" Rumple asked his brother-in-law.

"He's…with his mama. Come on...she wants to see you too…"

Rumple and Belle entered the maternity room where Marie and the baby were staying. "It looks the same. I feel like we never left," Rumple joked.

Marie was sitting up in bed cradling her son in her arms. "Look sweetie…here comes Daddy with Aunt Belle and Uncle Rumple."

Archie leaned down and kissed his wife first then his son.

"Rumple, Belle...say hello to John Wayne Hopper..." Marie announced and handed the baby to her sister.

"Oh, aren't you a cutie..." Belle murmured.

"And he's a big one too...eight pounds, six ounces!" Marie said with a laugh.

"And he's got the Bordreaux temper...nearly screamed the walls down," Archie added.

"You didn't hear it, you were passed out," Marie reminded her husband.

"You PASSED out?" Rumple repeated, gently tickling the baby.

"Well she didn't warn me how disgusting the afterbirth is...I took one look at that and was out like a light."

Rumple started laughing. "I forgot . . .you never had to look at disgusting things like that. I saw plenty of disgusting sights like that in the medical tent during the Ogre Wars."

"Next time I'm turning my head away..."

"You've got a good strong boy here, right little man?" Rumple crooned to his nephew.

John Wayne Hopper smiled and tried to reach for his finger.

Rumple allowed him to hold his index finger while he traced a few sigils in the air above the baby's head.

They glowed briefly and the vanished.

"What was that Rumple? Some sort of protection spell?" asked Marie.

"Yes, dearie. Protection and a bit of strength. So he won't get sick easily and it'll make it a wee bit easier on you if he's colicky."

"Ohhh that...Gisella was horrid with that."

"Adriana wasn't too bad. But that's because I had a special tea I made for her," Rumple said. "Let Belle and me get more sleep at night. Bae was terrible for the first three months with that," he recalled. "Kept spitting up and everything. Probably because Milah was such a sour apple she turned her milk sour too. I finally took over and fed him goat's milk. Got sick and tired of hearing him crying and Milah snarling."

"All I had when Gisella was born was Papa and Belle," Marie said sadly.

"Not this time, darling," Archie said softly.

"You're not going to get much sleep now…you know that Archie."

"I'd rather go without sleep then back to what I had before...a lonely life."

"It's always easier with help," Rumple said sagely. "And you can call us anytime you have questions or concerns."

"I appreciate that...learned a bit from taking care of Sella."

"Boys are a little different," Rumple advised. He took John from Belle. "And you and Adriana are going to give all of us gray hairs, aren't you, little cricket?"

They could see a slight smirk on the baby's lips.

"If he's anything like the man he's named after I'll lose all my hair!" Archie joked.

"Maybe you should have picked something a bit . . .tamer, pardner," Rumple drawled.

"No, it was between that and Errol and there was no way in hell my son was being named Errol!" Marie cried.

"I like John. It's a good strong name," Rumple said. "Belle, let's text Bae and Sella and tell them to come over and meet their new family member."

After Belle had texted them, Mary brought all three children to the hospital to meet the newest Hopper.

Gisella was excited to finally see her little brother. "Hi, Jonny! I'm your big sister Sella an nobody's gonna mess with ya cause I'll beat 'em with the broom!"

Her parents laughed.

"Bae, I see the baby!" Adriana wriggled in his arms.

She was almost a year and could talk quite well though she hadn't started walking yet.

"You're a baby yourself, Rumplette," her big brother laughed.

Adriana scowled. "No! I a big girl!" she pointed at herself. "That's a baby!"

Bae rolled his eyes. "Whatever!" He brought her over to see John. "Say hi to your cousin."

Adriana looked at her new cousin intently. Then she clapped her hands. "Hi, baby Jonny!" She gestured and a bear wearing a cowboy outfit appeared on the bed. Then she kissed the baby on the cheek. "I kiss the baby!"

"Oh that was so sweet of you, Adriana!" Marie said softly.

"It's not going to grow big and wander around the house is it, Adriana?" Archie asked her.

"No, Unca Archie. It stay by Jonny. So he won't be a'scared in the dark." Adriana hated the dark and always had lights on in her room at night.

"Oh thank you, honey."

"It's like Major Tom bear she gave me, right Adriana?" Gisella asked her.

"Uh huh."

"Just be glad you don't have the stuffed army in your house," Bae laughed.

"No but a few of them have shown up on the doorstep a time or two." Archie said with a laugh.

"That's cause Adriana heard you telling Aunt Belle you wanted to give Mommy a teddy gram for Valentine's Day."

Bae smirked because sometimes he'd gotten his sister's bears to help him clean his room so he could go out with Andi or his friends.

Suddenly a large bouquet of flowers appeared on the rolling tray and so did a large box of chocolates. "Candy! Yay!" Adriana cheered. "I have one!"

"No you don't, Adriana Isabelle Gold," her mother said firmly.

Nothing was worse than a magical child on a sugar high.

Her daughter pouted, then gazed at Rumple. "Papa, I have one . . .pwease!" She gave him huge puppydog eyes.

Rumple bit his lip. Then he shook his head. "No, mo a stor. You got the candy for Aunt Marie, didn't you?" He knelt so he could look in her eyes. "And you don't eat gifts."

"Nope cause it's rude," Gisella added.

"It is?" she looked at Rumple. "But I want some!" she whined.

"Later. For dessert," her father said. He took his daughter from Bae. "For now why don't you rest a little?" He knew using her magic like that had made her tired and she was probably sleepy and cranky.

Adriana fussed as he held her, but Rumple moved to a corner of the room and began to sing softly, "A peanut sat on a railroad track . . his heart was all aflutter . . along came the 2:15 . . .toot toot-"

"Peanut butter!" Adriana finished the familiar tune.

Then she yawned and cuddled against him, putting her thumb in her mouth. "Sleepy, Papa!"

Adriana had almost fallen asleep when Dr. Jo came by to check on her patient and baby. "I see you're all here, so why don't we take a picture?" She pulled out her phone.

Archie and Gisella sat on the bed with Marie and Jonny. "You get in here too Mary!"

"I don't know how you'll keep your sanity, Dr. Jo...you have three more of these coming up," Marie said tiredly.

"It's all part of the job, sweetie," the doctor smiled. "And I'll be fine. But the fathers might not!"

"I hope we were the easiest of them," Archie said.

"We'll see, but you just might be," Dr. Jo smiled and snapped their picture, another for the family album. Many more would fill it over the years, many of them photos of a little cowboy who had his mother's penchant for mischief…and his father's pure and loving heart.


	14. We Can Last Forever

~ 14 ~

We Can Last Forever

_Every little look inside your eyes_

_Is all it takes to make me realize_

_We can last forever._

_With every little moment we can share,_

_Gonna let you know how much I care;_

_I'll always be there…._

Chicago – We Can Last Forever

When he was three years old something strange started happening to Jonny. He discovered that when he talked to insects or reptiles, they talked back to him in his mind. One evening while he was outside playing 'Old West' in the yard he felt something brush against his leg and looked down to see a garter snake there. His mother couldn't see the snake since he blended into the grass and she was sitting on the patio while her husband cooked dinner.

"Hi."

_Hello, little one. _

"What'cha doin?"

_Just wandering about a bit. These grounds are quite comfortable for me to wander around in._

The snake sensed that the child was one of those of legend, possessing the ability to befriend and communicate with animals. The town's resident veterinarian Doctor Doolittle had that ability.

"Yeah my daddy takes real good care of it when he's not havin ta listen to people 'plain about their problems all the time."

_Who is your daddy if I might ask? _

"Umm…his name's Archie Hopper here but Sella says he useta be a cricket named Jiminy."

_So your father was once an insect? How? _

"Umm…he got 'chanted by the mean Blue Fairy and the goat lady but my mommy kissed him an turned him back into a guy."

_I see. _

"What's your name?"

_I don't have one. _

"M'gonna call ya Zach. Ya like it?"

_Yes…I do like it. _

"You wanna stay with me?"

_Your parents won't mind? Some of them dislike snakes. _

"You're not like the bad snakes and bite people and give em poison, are ya?"

_No. Frogs, rats and insects are what I feed on and I'm not poisonous. _

"Okay….you can sit in here till we get in the house." Jonny pointed at his hat.

"Jonny, Sella, time for dinner!" they heard their father call from the kitchen. Jonny scooped up his hat with Zach curled up inside and ran into the house. He hid the snake in his room not wanting Pongo to get at it.

He was so excited about his new friend that he didn't eat as much as he usually did at dinner. Archie looked up from his plate. "Are you feeling okay, Jonny? You've barely touched your food."

"M'not hungry Daddy."

Marie arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh."

His parents looked at each other. Their son only ate lightly when he was ill. Marie felt his forehead for any signs of a fever.

"Mommy, I not sick!" he protested.

"Didja sneak some of Uncle Rumple's cookies again?" Gisella teased. Rumplestiltskin always baked his Golden Delights cookies for the family's Sunday dinner and always sent a batch home with the Hoppers. Jonny had a habit of eating too many of them between meals.

"Nuh-uh," the boy protested. "Just not hungry s'all."

"Well, don't think you'll be spending all night eating junk food," Marie warned.

Jonny knew Zach had to be hungry but he wasn't sure what to feed him. They didn't have any rats in the house; his Uncle Rumple always said rats lived in filth and their house was never filthy because his mommy and Mary Poppins kept it clean. He would have to ask the snake after his parents tucked him in.

The snake educated the child as best he could on his dietary habits and curled up on the pillow above the toddler's head so that he wouldn't get hurt if Jonny had to change sleeping positions during the night or the child wouldn't get hurt since he had a tendency to bite if he were attacked.

_I've already eaten so you can go to sleep Jonny. _

"Okay. Night Zach."

_Good night, little one. _

"OH MY GOD! Archie, there's a SNAKE! A SNAKE! In our son's bed!" Marie screamed in horror when she went into her son's bedroom the next morning to wake him up, bringing her husband running down the hall into the child's bedroom along with Gisella.

"Mommy, he's a good snake, he only eats frogs an' stuff, he's not poisonous, his name's Zach." Jonny informed them.

"Cool! You can hear what he says?" Gisella asked her brother.

"Yup."

"Whoa! It's like Crocodile Hunter!"

"How...how is this even possible?" Marie gasped.

"I used to be able to talk to all animals when I was a cricket Marie," Archie answered.

"Yes...but...snakes?!"

"Snakes are good, Mommy. They eat rats an' stuff." Jonny put in petting Zach who was now curled around his wrist.

"Y...You don't want to _keep_ it, do you?"

"Maybe Jonny has magic like Adriana," Gisella remarked.

Her son gave her a puppy dog look.

"I don't know..."

"It seems harmless enough, Marie. But I expect you to take care of it Jonny...no letting it wander loose and scaring people," Archie advised.

Marie glared at her husband. She despised snakes as much as she despised insects.

"Mommy, he's my friend . . . and he won't bite anybody less they try to hurt him . . .or me." Jonny held the snake out to Marie. "Wanna pet him? He's smooth, not slimy."

She cringed. "I fall in love with a former cricket and now our son is a snake charmer..."

Archie looked thoughtful. "Maybe we ought to call up Rumple and tell him."

"Yes...we better." Marie did reach out and touch the snake for a moment and realized her son was right but she still wasn't comfortable with the reptile in the house.

They should have expected their son to have some sort of magical ability, after all he was a true love child and his father had broken one of the most powerful curses in all the realms.

"Mommy, and guess what else? I talked to a moth last night . . .and a firefly!" their son declared brightly.

"What!?" Marie almost passed out. "I...insects..."

"He's like Bug Boy!" Gisella yelled.

"We are not going to have insects all through the house!"

"Awww! But some of them are nice!" her son cried.

"You warmed up to a cricket darling," her husband reminded her.

"There's a difference...you were an enchanted insect...not born one!"

"So just talk to 'em outside," Gisella suggested.

Marie sighed. "Jonny, no bringing them in the house unless you have to, please?"

"Have you talked to any of the crickets yet, Jonny?" his father inquired.

"Not yet but I'm gonna today. Only ya can't eat 'em, Zach!"

The snake hissed a reassurance and looped himself around the boy's waist, like a living belt of bright colors.

"I'll go with you then."

Archie was curious about his son's new talents and wanted to see them for himself.

"Okay! Now I want some eggs n'cheese an' sausage, please!" The child jumped out of bed wearing the living snake belt over his cowboy pajamas.

"All right, all right, I'm going!" his father chuckled and followed his son downstairs to the kitchen.

"Snakes…insects…my house is going to become a pit stop for the…ohhhh I don't even want to think about it!" Marie cried, throwing up her hands in despair.

The Golds arrived after lunch. Rumple barely got in the door when Jonny ran up to him with Zach coiled around his wrist, "Lookit Unca Rumple. I have a new friend. His name's Zach!"

"I see that. Your daddy said you can talk to him and he talks back to you."

"Uh-huh. I can talk to other stuff too like bugs."

"That's so cool!" exclaimed Adriana. "Wait'll I tell the Happy Army!"

Belle grinned at her sister.

"Not…one…word!" Marie said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, come on Marie. You have to admit it is a bit ironic….your husband used to be a cricket and now your son can communicate with them…and reptiles."

"All the things that either scare me half to death or give me the creeps!" she moaned.

"You wanna meet Zach?" Jonny asked his cousin.

"Uh-huh."

The two toddlers raced upstairs to Jonny's room. Jonny took Zach out of his cage and handed him to his cousin. The snake draped itself over her shoulders like a shawl.

_She is a special child too with the ability to heal. _

"Yeah I know. Driana can heal her Happy Army when they's sick, right Driana?"

"Is he talkin' about how I help people not be sick or have frownies?"

"Yeah. Somethin like that."

"Marie seems a bit put out by all this," Rumple remarked to his brother-in-law.

"She doesn't like snakes any more than she likes insects. She almost killed me with that damned broom if you remember."

Rumple giggled. "Of course I remember, dearie. She's going to have to get used to it just like I have to get used to everything Adriana does. I'm just curious to see what abilities the others will have."

"I'm almost afraid to find out."

Later that night the family gathered outside and watched with wonder while the toddler sat on a blanket in the grass with Zach and his father and spoke to all the insects that came to him like they were humans themselves, assuring them that they were welcome in their yard whenever they wanted to visit.

Archie smiled, recalling the nights he spent outside alone as a boy, listening to the crickets chirping, finding a few hours of peace in his otherwise lonely existence. Now here he was…years later, a man with the beautiful home, a successful medical practice and a wonderful family. He couldn't have asked for more.

"…ARCHIE!" His wife's terrified screams woke him out of a deep sleep later that night. He jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom and slipped on the towel Marie placed on the floor beside the shower stall.

"Marie….what's wrong?" he asked when he grabbed the towel hook and pulled himself to his feet. He opened the stall door and found his wife standing in the corner shaking.

"Get it out of here! Oh God…get it out!" she moaned, pointing at Zach on the floor near her feet. "He knows that thing is not supposed to be out of its box so what the hell is it doing in my shower?"

Archie groaned. "Come on Zach," he urged. The snake slithered over to him and wrapped itself around his arm. He went down the hall to his son's bedroom and flipped the light switch. The lid to Zach's cage was off. "John Wayne Hopper, you have some explaining to do."

The toddler sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Daddy…what'cha doin with Zach?"

"What was Zach doing out of his cage? He scared your mother half to death!"

"Ummm…ummmm…"

"I told you if you wanted to keep Zach in the house, he had to stay in his cage at night. Now why was the lid off?"

"Ummm…I forgot to put it back on."

Archie put the snake back in its cage and replaced the lid then sat on the bed beside his son. "Jonny, didn't we have a discussion about being responsible when you have a pet?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then can you tell me how letting the lid off of Zach's cage is being responsible?"

"Ummm…s'not."

"No, it isn't," Archie agreed. "A lot of things could've happened and none of them good. If you can't take care of him like we asked you to, he's going to have to go back outside."

"Daaaa-dddyyy! I don't want Zach to go back outside!" he wailed.

"Then you need to remember that he has to go back in his cage at night or when you're not around."

"Okay…"

"I mean it," his father insisted.

"I won't forget, Daddy."

Archie kissed his son's forehead and ruffled his hair... "Okay, pardner, get some shut-eye."

"Night, Daddy."

When he returned to the bedroom his wife was standing in front of the bed with a blanket and pillow in her hands and a scowl on her face. "You, Archibald Hopper, have a date with the couch tonight!"

"What?! What did I do?"

"You were the one who talked me into letting that…that…_thing_ in our house. Where is it going to end up next? In our _bed!?_"

"I had a talk with him about that and he's promised me it won't get loose again."

"You're still going on the couch tonight, mister! That damned thing scared me half to death."

"Marie darling, be reasonable."

"Out! Or it's a week, cricket!"

"Damned stubborn woman! I'll give you half the night…_half the night_ and you'll want me back in bed," he challenged.

She crossed her arms over her breasts and glared at him. "Oh, is that so? I slept alone a long time before you came along so don't think I can do it again!"

"You hate going to bed angry as much as I do," he argued. "All right my goddess, if that's the way you want to play it, fine. But you'll want me back in bed before the night's over."

She thrust the pillow and blankets at him, and gave him a shove out the door, slamming it behind her. He shook his head and went downstairs to try to make himself comfortable on the couch though he knew his neck and back would be sore in the morning.

Upstairs in the bedroom, Marie tossed and turned, trying everything she could to make herself comfortable but it was no use. She missed sleeping in her husband's arms or even curling up beside him but most of all she couldn't stand going to bed angry with him over something silly. She may not have liked having snakes and insects around but they made her son happy so she had to get used to it and as her husband pointed out many times he was once a cricket and she did warm up to him.

She got out of bed and went downstairs. Her husband lay on the couch asleep. She could tell from the position he was in that his neck and back were going to be sore and crawled onto the couch with him.

"I missed you," she murmured.

His eyes fluttered open. "Does this mean we can go back to bed?" he asked hopefully.

"Call it a compromise. I can't sleep when you're not there to hold me."

"Damned stubborn woman," he muttered. He wrapped his arms around her and fell back to sleep. They could be uncomfortable together.

Though it wasn't officially their 'date night' Archie and Marie wanted nothing more than to go to the Chicago concert they talked about before they got married but having Jonny so soon after put their plans on hold for a while. Marie kept checking the band's website to see if they would post a date for a show in Maine but she never found one. Instead they started focusing their search on areas close to them and discovered the band would be in Boston with Reo Speedwagon, another favorite band of theirs.

They'd given Mary the week off to take a little vacation of her own and Rumple and Belle offered to watch Jonny and Gisella while their parents were out of town. They booked themselves into the same hotel they planned to stay in before their elopement plan was foiled and wouldn't return home until sometime the following day.

"All packed up, Princess?" Archie asked Gisella. She pointed to the suitcase on the floor. Archie picked it up, gasping. "Sella, what did you put in here?" Your whole closet? You're only staying at Uncle Rumple and Aunt Belle's for the night, not a week!"

"Ummm…well, I didn't wanna forget anything…"

He opened the suitcase up, frowning. "You don't need all these things, just your clothes, Rose, Major Tom, and your Nintendo. Belle already has these movies at the house for Adriana. No need to bring yours along, now take some of that out of there before I dislocate my shoulder."

"Okay," she grumbled. When nearly all of the items were out of the suitcase she looked up at her father.

"Better." He kissed her cheek. "Let's go round up your brother."

"….Jonny….come back here!" Marie cried. Her son was running around the yard pretending he was Sheriff Woody from Toy Story chasing the toy torturing kid Sid.

"You not gonna strap me to a rocket cause I'm gonna send ya into orbit!"

"Jonny, let's go. You need a bath before we go to Uncle Rumple's."

"Mommy, m'playin!"

"You can chase Sid when you get back. Now come on…you're all dirty and you need a bath."

"Don't wanna bath!" he protested.

"John Wayne Hopper, do you want a date with the corner?" she threatened. "You have till the count of three to come over here."

"Awww!"

"One…"

"But Mommy!"

"Two!"

"Wanna play!"

Archie came outside just in time to see his son in the middle of one of his tantrums. "Jonny, bath time. Now," he said firmly.

The toddler crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his father. "No!"

"Oh no. We're not having that." Archie picked his protesting son up and carried him into the house. He certainly had the Bordreaux temper and rebellious streak like his mother but he also inherited his father's compassionate nature.

"Daddy…..I don't wanna bath!" he wailed.

"Do you want to go around looking and smelling like you fell in mud hole?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, you're not and you won't get to play with Adriana or the Happy Army if you're all filthy. You know how Uncle Rumple is about dirt in his house."

"And do you want me and Daddy to take custody of Duke for a week…or even Zach?" his mother added.

"Noooo!"

"Then let Daddy get you cleaned up."

"Okay!" he sighed. "Can I have some toys in here, Daddy?"

"All right but you're not staying in here until you look like a raisin." The toddler dumped all his Toy Story figurines in the tub and played with them while his father washed the dirt off him. "Good gods, Jonny! What did you do? Roll in it?"

"Was playin ambush."

"And who were you trying to ambush this time?"

"Jesse James. M'gonna catch 'im an throw 'im in jail an then m'gonna strap that mean Sid to a rocket an send 'im inta orbit! Daddy, can ya tell me 'bout the big mud fight again?"

His father chuckled. "I've told you that story at least a dozen times!" A small pair of blue eyes so much like his own gave him the puppy dog look. "Oh, all right. We were camping out in the forest near Avonlea when a pink carriage came along and in it was one of Mommy and Aunt Belle's old enemies, a nasty harpy named Axelle Villette…."

An hour later they got their son dressed and drove him and his sister over to the Gold house.

"At least this time you're not trying to go to Boston to elope," Belle teased. Marie swatted at her.

"No…but if we decide to renew our vows we just might do it anyway."

"Have a good time, dearies," Rumple said. "And don't worry about the wee ones….we'll keep them in line."

"Famous last words," Archie joked. "Now you behave for Uncle Rumple or you have dates with the corner when you get home…understood?"

"We will," Gisella promised. "Won't we, Jonny?"

"Yup!"

Archie picked up Gisella and hugged her. "We'll see you tomorrow, Princess."

"Have a good time, Daddy."

Archie kissed her cheek and set her down then picked up his son and hugged him too. "See you tomorrow, pardner."

"We gonna play Old West tomorrow, Daddy?"

"Yes, but I want to be the sheriff this time." Archie chuckled.

"Nope. Yous gotta be Jesse James so's I can hunt ya an toss ya in jail."

"What if I get my girl to spring me?" Archie winked at his wife.

"Then she's gonna go t'jail too."

Archie pretended to pout. "Sure…ruin my fun!" His son smirked.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Marie hugged and kissed both of her children and they got in their car to drive to Boston.

The couple could hardly contain their excitement. They were going to be hearing two of their favorite bands playing their favorite songs separately…and together in the same night.

"If I don't hear our song I'm going to be very disappointed," Marie said when they found their seats in the Blue Hills band Pavillion. "I don't give a damn if Peter's not the one singing it….I just want to hear it!"

"They're supposed to be playing a song from the new album too."

"Only one? It's probably 'Now'….the first single but why not 'More Will Be Revealed'. I love that song!"

"So do I, darling but most of their fans like to hear the old ones too."

"I'm not a big fan of some of those 'old ones'…just the ones on the hits playlist you have on your phone. Now if they played all the stuff from the 80s and 90s, I'd be happy!"

Archie laughed. "You say that about REO Speedwagon too...and Journey…."

"Don't sit there and tell me you won't have a conniption if REO doesn't play 'Can't Fight This Feeling' when I know it's your favorite."

"What I love even more is the memory I associate with it…" he murmured.

She didn't need to ask what it was, she already knew and could picture it in her mind….their honeymoon, dancing together as he sang it to her…

REO Speedwagon played first, bringing smiles to their faces when they heard the opening notes of 'Can't Fight This Feeling' five songs later and again Marie was taken back to that night in Athens and in her mind she didn't hear Kevin Chronin's voice but her husband's though the song ended a bit early for them that night in a most pleasant way as the desire they'd been feeling all day reached its breaking point and they retreated to their bedroom.

REO Speedwagon performed eleven songs then retreated backstage to allow Chicago their opportunity to play for their fans. The couple knew it was not the same lineup they were used to hearing on some of the albums but it didn't matter. They just wanted to hear 'their song'.

As Marie suspected, the band did play some of the older songs she never listened to and a few that she did, only smiling when she heard the opening notes to the band's new song, 'Now'.

_"If there's something you want to say _

_Then say it now_

_If there's someone you want to love _

_Then love them now_

_You don't want to miss all this _

_Cause it would be biggest mistake of your life_

_To never try!" _Jason Scheff sang energetically.

_That was us….three years ago, _Archie thought. He could just imagine what the bassist would think if he knew he was singing to one of the fairy tale characters his children watched in movies.

"Kind of reminds you of us back then…doesn't it?" Marie asked her husband.

"Yes it does."

They and several other members of the audience began clapping in time with the music and Jason's vocals.

_"If there's a song you wanna sing then sing it now_

_If there's a life you want to live then live it now…." _Jason continued.

_"'Cause it'll be gone, hold on_

_Don't you let your second chances get away, don't wait…" _founding member Robert Lamm chimed in, earning applause from the crowd and the three lead vocalists began to sing the chorus together.

_"'Cause now_

_This is the time we must start living in_

_Let's make a change while it's not too late_

_Let's make a place where love is happening_

_The world is going by_

_There's no greater time than now…"_

The song seemed to speak of all of the people of Storybrooke, their lives torn apart by two dreadful curses over thirty years ago and tossed into a land they were unfamiliar with but with time standing still for so long they learned how to adjust. They didn't realize until the appearance of Emma Swan that they were all missing a crucial part of their lives…the ones who made them complete. Along with one of the curse casters, the exiled princess took a chance on believing in magic and restored everyone's memories so that they could take back their happy endings. As long as the second curse remained in effect, five couples in particular still stood a chance of losing everything. And on Archie and Marie's wedding day, they shattered that second curse and all the loves that were lost were rediscovered and new ones began.

The crowd applauded and cheered when the song ended and the opening notes to the next song began.

"Archie…." Marie whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

"They're playing our song…" he murmured.

Marie rested her head on her husband's shoulder while put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer as they listened to Jason Scheff singing 'their' song, reliving some of the best moments of their lives in their minds.

_"You know our love was meant to be_

_The kind of love to last forever…"_

They went back to the Enchanted Forest when he was still a cricket and she was still known as Belle's former lady-in-waiting, a ruined woman who no longer believed in love was for her…

_"No, Jiminy…love's not for me. It never will be."_

_"What if someone proved to you it would be? Would you take the chance?"_

_"Why are you asking me this?"_

_"Because I think that's what is missing in your life…a man to love you…and a father for your daughter."_

_"Well I won't find him here…if I ever will so there's no sense thinking about it!" _

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Rumple….he said in another land I would find a man who would love me and Gisella….but it's too much to hope for!" _

_"And I want you here with me_

_From tonight until the end of time…" _

Once again it was their wedding day and they were in Rumple's backyard, she costumed as the Greek goddess Aphrodite and he as Adonis, at last speaking the vows that would bind them together; heart, body and soul forever…

_"Archie...when I first saw you in our land...I made the mistake of thinking you were just an insect...something to smash with the broom. But in the time you were in Rumple's castle I got to see there was more to you but we didn't have enough time to find out if we could be more than that to each other. Then...the night you walked into the Foxtrot...and I saw the man behind the cricket I couldn't remember I felt drawn to you...though I didn't know why..._

_Before I met you, I thought true love was possible...for everyone else but me. I was a ruined woman…in both lands...but you knew that...and loved me anyway. And every time I gave you a reason to walk away, you came back. You came back because you didn't see me as a ruined woman...you saw me as someone who was given a bad hand in life and survived it and in its darkest moments you were there with me...giving me the strength I needed to pick myself back up after I'd been torn down…_

_You once told me that I teach the torches to burn bright but it's you that teaches them to burn bright for me…just when I think I'm lost in darkness…you light my way home…I love you Archie Hopper and I am going to spend the rest of my life making myself worthy of the love you've given me…"_

_"On our first actual date I told you I had a speech prepared for you…but for the life of me I still don't remember it now because I don't think it would've been what I wanted to say anyway." He gazed into her eyes before he continued. "You never thought true love was possible for you...and I didn't either...for me. I didn't think anyone could love me...first being the son of con artist parents...and then later as a cricket. And then a goddess walked into my life..._

_Even when the curses came and separated us...my mind may have forgotten you but my heart never did. I decided that night after we met at that damned club...scared as hell as I was...that if I didn't at least take a chance with you...I'd regret it for the rest of my life. And I still say it's you who teaches the torches to burn bright...for me._

_When I start second guessing myself your light is all I need to see to restore my confidence that I can be the man I've always wanted to be. And now I am. I love you Marie Bordreaux...I always have...and I always will..."_

_"You should know everywhere I go_

_You're always in my mind, in my heart, in my soul…" _

They were back in their suite in the Grand Bretagne in Greece during their honeymoon, enjoying their first evening alone since their wedding night.

_"I'm corrupting you again." _

_"Now who's doing the corrupting, my goddess?" _

_"I'd fall from the highest pedestal for you, my Adonis…" _

The scene changed and they were now in Rome standing before the Fontana Di Trevi after having gone to the opera house to see a performance of Turandot, Archie tossing a handful of coins over his shoulder into the fountain in the hopes that they would someday return and as a donation to the country's poor.

_"Baby, you're the meaning in my life _

_You're the inspiration_

_You bring feeling to my life_

_You're the inspiration_

_Wanna have you near me_

_I wanna have you hear me sayin_

_No one needs you more than I need you…" _

They were still in Rome, on the floor in their hotel, having just dealt with a terrible bout of nausea together, realizing that it was caused by something other than an exotic disease, their arms around each other and tears in their eyes when they realized their dream of having a child together would at last come true….

_"I'm going to have our baby, Archie…"_

_"I love you!"_

_"I love **you**!" _

_"And I know, yes I know that it's plain to see_

_We're so in love when we're together_

_Now I know that I need you here with me_

_From tonight until the end of time_

_You should know everywhere I go_

_You're always on my mind, in my heart in my soul_

_You're the meaning in my life_

_You're the inspiration…" _

They went back to the night of their first official date at Rumple's cabin, their first kiss…and the night they finally admitted their true feelings for each other.

_"W...Where have you been all my life?" _

_"Nowhere I wanted to be."_

_"You know where I've been..."_

_"And it doesn't matter to me. How many times do I have to say it for you to believe it?" _

_"Maybe a few more..."_

_"I'd rather show you..."_

_"…Marie…"_

_"Yes…?"_

_"I love you." _

_"I love you too, Archie…." _

_"…When you love somebody till the end of time_

_When you love somebody_

_Always on my mind_

_No one needs you more than I…" _

Back in the present, not caring what anyone else in the audience thought, Archie cupped his wife's face in his hands and kissed her.

"I'll love _you_ till the end of time, my goddess…" he murmured.

"And I'll always love _you_, my Adonis…"

They found it ironic that the musicians in this land sang of everlasting love so often but there were so few couples fortunate enough to find it. They were torn apart by a curse and the obstacles they'd faced more often than not tore lovers from this land apart but they were a testament to the ultimate truth in every fairy tale….true love did indeed love conquer all.

**Authors Notes: Another chapter in the Unexpected Saga has come to an end but the story has just begun. For those of you who've missed them, catch up on this verse in This Doesn't Have To Be Love and Unexpected Surprise. Also check out the one shots: A Bitter Cold Spell, A Sweet Lovely Moment, Soldiers of Love, Bae's Babysitting Blues, Date Night, Chills, Thrills Tricks and Treats and the all new A Holiday of Unexpected Surprises! Once again, thank you all for reading, reviewing and favoriting. You're the best! **

**Snapegirlkmf and CJ Moliere**


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